


Who I Am

by KittysJiri (KafufuQ)



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: F/M, Please Don't Hurt Me, characters may seem OOC but I'm working on it, my oc is op but also not op, this is a draft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-01-30 18:13:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 30
Words: 54,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12658797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KafufuQ/pseuds/KittysJiri
Summary: “Remember who you are”. Wise words once spoken by a wise leader. After coming too in a cabin in the middle of the forest, she would do anything to follow those words so she takes a journey to do just that only to come up empty handed. The Hunter Exam is her last resort. Someone’s bound to know her there… right?*IS COMPLETE BUT NEEDS A REVISION SINCE THIS WAS JUST A DRAFT*24/? completedUpdated 2/24/18





	1. I – Before x It x All

**Author's Note:**

> I've already started to go back and revise the story a bit and I hope to be completely finished before my workload becomes too heavy since school wants to kill me. Also, I understand that in the future, some characters may act a little OOC but it's only because of how long each one has known the OC.

 

                Waking up tied to a chair in a dimly lit room was a sign that that day would be absolute shit. Her body ached and head pounded, consequences of being captured, and the guy yelling at her certainly didn’t help. He was demanding that he tell her where **they** were because he was certain that **they** stole from them. No one else could have _possibly_ gotten past their defenses. The thing was, she hadn’t been with **them** in weeks and even if it was **them** , she wouldn’t tell the guy where **they** were. No amount of torture made her spill the beans, she had been through worse. Instead, it only served as a means to intensify her headache.

                “Can you shut up? My head hurts,” she complained.

                “You must think that you’re so high and mighty because you won’t tell on your friends huh you little bitch?” he yelled as he grabbed at her light gray ponytail.

                The new angle caused her long fringe to graze her orange eyes, stinging them at the intrusion. The man shoved her head to the side, instructing her to ‘wait here’ as he walked away.

                “It’s not like I can go anywhere,” she mumbled.

                He came back holding a syringe full of a glowing blue liquid. It swirled around with each of his movements, allowing small streaks of magenta, yellow, and green to surface and disappear almost as fast as they came. Her eyes widened in recognition. Topitriene, Afitora Erolise, and Vibraside Adriazoxane, also known as Reaper’s Gamble when combined. Topitriene was a truth serum of sorts but often killed the person it was used on when too much was injected. If someone survived a dose of it, they often had no memory of the interrogation. It was great for stealth missions. Afitora Erolise would make one extremely sensitive to pain and Vibraside Adriazoxane was a drug that caused extreme amounts of it by stimulating all of the pain receptors in your body. One would think that just having the truth serum was enough but the entire point of Reaper’s Gamble was to further convince those who were difficult to cooperate, gambling the life of the victim on whether or not they die afterwards from shock or the dosage. She’s mostly immune to Topitriene’s ability to make someone talk due to resistance training but it was the combination that worried her.

                “Your family used Reaper’s Gamble quite often did they not? Wouldn’t it be interesting to see how it works firsthand?”

                Her body tensed at the thought of that coming anywhere near her. If it wasn’t for the restraints, she would have used her nen ages ago to get out. The bindings had a limit of how much they could suppress but her capabilities fell just short of that threshold. The man jabbed the needle into her neck and pushed the plunger down, small maniacal chuckles slipping from his lips.

                “I’m stronger than anything you give me! I’ve been trained by criminals and assassins!” she yelled, “And I’ll never tell you anythi-

                Her proud words were cut off by an ear-splitting scream as pain coursed through her body. It, of course, was the worse at the injection site and spread in a searing, throbbing pain throughout her body. Once she got out of there she was going to kill every single person in the building! Her body thrashed around in the chair, fingernails digging into the wood as her muscles convulsed, aura flaring uncontrollably. In the moments of extreme torture, bubbles started to form and separate from her body. Small orbs of orangey-yellow surrounded her form, thoroughly confusing the man besides her, his laughter stopping. She shouldn’t be able to use her nen with the restraints… right? The pain was starting to ebb ever so slightly but it was enough to break her from her mindset of ‘scream… just scream’, allowing her to catch her breath, heaving and trembling. She took notice of the sudden quiet from the man and glanced up. A grin slipped upon her face at the realization of what happened. Maneuvering the bubbles, she stuck some to the man that was currently flailing about in panic and some to her chair and detonated them, filling the room with a large explosion. The chair broke with the force, freeing her heavy-feeling body. Moving hurt like a bitch but at least she could still walk. The man was certain to be dead, burned to a crisp or even torn apart, especially after an attack like that. Others came rushing in to keep her from escaping but she quickly took care of them. They were weak. The mafia now-a-days were filled with nothing but cannon fodder. It was sad really.

                Her vision swam, stopping her in her tracks as she placed a hand to her face. She had to get out of here. As she staggered down the halls, she sensed others in the building. Only three were making their way towards her, the others were running in the opposite direction. Piece of cake, she thought. The first two went down like flies but the last one was hiding out somewhere. As much as she wanted to find and kill them, her top priority was to escape. With each step that she took however, she forgot more and more about what was going on, almost to the point that she questioned why she was escaping. The Topitriene must be starting to work its magic.

                The last person was grabbed by the collar and just as she pulled her head back for a nen-enhanced head-butt, a fourth person jumped out and shot her with a powerful shockwave, almost point blank to her face. She released her hold on the man as she stumbled backwards. One of them shot at her head, thankfully only skimming along her cheek, blood adding to the flow from her forehead. She managed to get the two down before escaping. Whether or not they were dead though, it didn’t matter. Finally out of the facility and a decent distance away, her body gave out, succumbing to the drug in her body and plunging her into darkness.

 

 

                It was dark when she came too, although that could be attributed to the bandages on her face. She wanted to sit up but something was restraining her. What it was though, she couldn’t pinpoint. All that she could feel was a bed and the blankets. They were heavy; were they weighted? A door opened, snapping her out of her thoughts.

                “Oh wonderful, you came too,” a man? “I had begun to think that you would never wake up.”

                Whoever he was, he sounded middle aged… about in his late 50’s.

                “Before we get to the formalities, you should fix your ten. You’re leaking an incredible about of aura. I had to use some of my nen to keep you alive so I apologize for the extra weight.”

                “Ten?”

                That term sounded familiar but she had no idea what that was. The man, although confused, told her to envision a cloud around her and hold it until she felt comfortable. An odd request but she listened to him, relaxing her body at the same time. He watched as the aura that was attempting to escape her slowly morphed into a protective covering that sort-of evenly covered her. Once he deemed her to be alright, he released his aura from the blanket and introduced himself.

                “My name is Marsden Embermantle, call me Mars,” he introduced, “I find a lot of people in your situation around here though you were by far in the worst condition. Those dang mafia are merciless. Your face was basically ripped to shreds… I’m doubtful that you’ll ever be able to have full usage of your eyes. Of course, that’s the least of your worries right? You don’t really seem to know what’s going on. Do you at least know who you are?” she thought for a moment but nothing came to mind, “I hope you don’t mind but I had checked your wallet for your I.D. when I found you. Apparently your name is Siouxsie Notlea. I’m-uh, not sure if I’m pronouncing your surname right but that’s all I know. Don’t worry though, you can stay with me until you feel comfortable enough to leave on your own. It’s what I do.”

                Mars started to leave the room, mentioning that he’d even help her relearn nen.

                “Nen?”

                “I’ll explain in detail once you’re better. Get some rest.”


	2. II – The x Journey x Begins

 

                Mars was… unfortunately right. Her eyes never healed properly, robbing her of her sight, but at least she could sense light out of her right eye. He kept true to his promise of telling her about nen once she was better and the sheer amount of information nearly made her head explode. When it came time to perform the water divination, not only did she change the color of the water but she had pointed out that it smelled sweeter… and it was. Somehow she could use emission _and_ transmutation. While its not unheard of for someone to be able to use more than one type through vigorous training, only the type that you were born with would show in the divination. Mars thought that she could be a specialist but he’d never seen one ‘follow the rules’ of a water divination as they usually ‘break them’.

                Using a ton of training, Mars helped Siouxsie develop a gyo-type technique to help her navigate. Her transmutation allowed her nen to resemble particles and emission allowed them to go out and bounce off of surfaces. Using gyo, she could see her nen quite well but not very far and people’s Ten (or contained aura’s if they didn’t know nen) made it difficult to make out their features. She ended up calling it ‘Echo’ even though it was more like sonar than echolocation. Basically anything that had to do with visual aid, he helped her with. He even helped out with a few offensive and defensive techniques since it was always a good idea to have a basic knowledge on how to defend yourself.

                By the time that Siouxsie was ready to leave and discover herself, she almost didn’t want to go but she _needed_ to go out and find people who knew her. Not knowing who she was as a person was slowly gnawing at her and surely the people who _did_ know her had to be worried. Siouxsie decided that she was going to search as far as she could go for three years. If she had no luck then she was going to participate in the Hunter Exams. If she passed and became a licensed hunter then traveling would be easier and who knows, maybe someone there will know her. During her travels, Siouxsie made sure to visit Mars every once in a while but a year after she was gone, she returned to a dead body. The cabin was trashed and the smell of dried blood and his rotting corpse was pungent in the air. She’s not sure what happened but after laying him to rest, she continued on her journey.

 

                The three year deadline had come and gone with no success. She was no closer to knowing who she was. The Hunter Exam was her last option. If no one there knew her then she was just going to give up. This was her last resort and she wasn’t going to go down without a fight. Siouxsie had heard that the Hunter Exams were brutal, many would fail or die during it and the preliminaries were just as hard, thankfully though, not as deadly.

                During her final week of traveling, she had stopped her search in Groita, a small town surrounded by nothing but mountains. She was planning on heading to Zaban City from there which is where the exams were taking place. The person selling train tickets had advised her to arrive early and keep an eye out for the train. Apparently the amount of people that they’ve seen fail was enough to warrant a warning. That warning was justified once the day finally came to leave. Siouxsie had used En as soon as she stepped foot onto the platform and from what she could tell, the train wasn’t going to stop. It was speeding down the rails, she needed to think quickly lest she miss it. She could grab onto it as it passed but the sheer force of that would risk dislocating or even removing her arm. If she jumped at the train then she could lose her footing and fall off. She’d have to chase it, jumping onto the tracks just as it passes. No one else seemed to even know that the train was approaching. She sighed and did some quick, light stretches, getting ready to run. At last, the ground started to shake, alerting the others to the presence of the locomotive. By the time they were all ready to board, it was too late. The train sprinted past, pulling all of the air along its path and Siouxsie was right behind it. Even though she had timed her jump onto the tracks almost perfectly, she was still quite a ways from the back of the train. She could hear the panicked voices of everyone behind her attempting to catch up.

                By the time she made it onto the train, she had barely broken a sweat but her body felt like it was wadding through waist-high waters. Train tracks are notoriously difficult to run on with their raised and uneven beams forcing her to focus her Echo on the ground in order to see better. It was eerily quiet but she could vaguely sense some people in the uppermost cars. Siouxsie cautiously made her way through them. This was the passage to the Hunter Exams after all, anything could happen. Surprising enough, nothing did, but when she opened the door to the last car, all eyes were on her.

                “H-Hey,” she timidly greeted.

                There was a single booth all of the way in the back and she let out a breath of relief; salvation at last. Her legs felt like jelly at this point. She was well aware of the eyes that followed her down the aisle but the call of the chair was too much to ignore. Finally sitting down with a contented sigh and her backpack off, she adjusted her Echo to the bare minimum output and re-established her En, though much weaker and smaller this time. Even though she was tucked into the back there were a few people nearby so having an En large enough to reach the others would annoy her. She just wanted to rest. Power output wasn’t her strongest ability and over-exertion would quickly catch up to her if she wasn’t careful.

                As time went on and night came, Siouxsie was lucid enough to overhear people asking each other if they knew when the train would arrive to their destination. Some had no idea as to where they were going, including her.

                “ _I_ heard that this train takes you straight to the exam site,” boasted one man.

                “You idiot. There’s no way it would be that easy! There’s probably another test first.”

                She’s not sure when she dozed off but the sensation of someone entering her En startled her awake. A woman had walked in from the car behind her and addressed the people in the cart.

                “I have a question for all of you, you will have 10 seconds to answer,” she started, “Your child is being held captive and the captor gives you an option, kill your mother or kill the love of your life. Which do you pick?”

                That was a loaded question. Siouxsie thought hard about it but as much as she thought, she couldn’t come up with anything. Even if she wasn’t an amnesiac there’s no way she’d be able to choose. Mostly everyone else had chosen their mother with a few saying their spouse but she remained silent. The woman picked up on her silence as well as basically everyone else.

                “If you’ve chosen your mother, stay here. If you instead chose your spouse, move one car back. And you,” she said looking pointedly at Siouxsie, “Come with me.”

                She could hear all of the snickers from everyone else as if she had gotten in trouble. They were so immature. The woman led her into the car that she had come from as she asked why she didn’t answer.

                “Well… I honestly wouldn’t be able to choose between my spouse and my mother. I’m aware that _no one_ can replace your mother and, while yes, the love of your life are technically irreplaceable... I just couldn’t come to an answer. I hope to never be in a position to choose like that.”

                The woman stared at her, eyes unchanging.

                “Why do you want to become a hunter?” she asked suddenly.

                Hesitant to answer, she asked why she was asking such a question. The woman stared at her for a moment longer before moving to turn away. Siouxsie wasn’t sure why, but she felt that if she didn’t answer right now then she’d fail. Over the many few of being by herself, she had quickly realized that her gut feelings were usually right. A gift, she supposed.

                “I-! I-um… a few years back there was an incident that caused me to lose my memory. I’ve travelled as far as I could to try and find anyone… or anything really that can help me remember who I was. The Hunter Exams are my last hope. If no one there knows me there, then maybe someone in the not-so-easily accessible places does. And if I come up empty handed… I suppose that I’ll start a new life as a Hunter.”

                The woman continued to stare at her, eyes seemingly burning a hole in her face before nodding. She was instructed to sit down and relax as they would not reach their destination until after sunrise. The car was quiet as she was the only one in there.

                A bit later she was once again startled awake when the woman entered her much larger En.

“The train is about to arrive at its destination, please prepare to depart.”

                Siouxsie stood and stretched out her achy muscles. As tempting as that nap had sounded at the time, all that she felt was sluggish. Once the exams were all over she was going to sleep for the next week. As she stepped off of the train, from what she could tell, they had arrived in a small town. The sound of a river was prominent in the background as well as the sheer amount of people nearby. It’s at times like this that Siouxsie wishes that she could see properly. She’s certain that this place was quite the sight. It was then that she realized that she had no idea where to go. She glanced around for the other examinees but realized that the other cars were missing.

                “Welcome to Silvervale,” she heard the woman announce.

                Siouxsie turned towards the woman.

                “Where are the others?”

                “They failed,” voiced the woman matter-o-factly, “The answer to my question was silence. All of them too readily chose someone to sacrifice while you couldn’t pick between one and the other. Of course, if something like that does happen, I do hope that you’ll be able to handle the situation.”

                “I see…. Well thank you,” thanked Siouxsie.

“I’d hate to have my _only_ applicant fail so I’ll give you a hint as to where to go,” replied the woman, “Just east of here is a mountainous forest with a cabin at the base. You’re going to want to head there. There’s a navigator that will take you right to the exam site.”

                “Oh, um… thank you but isn’t the exam in Zaban? That’s not exactly-”

                “Get going before I change my mind!”

                “Yes ma’am! And thanks again!”

                Siouxsie eyed the east. It was going to be a tough journey but she hoped that she could at least find her way around.

                Thus starting her exams.

 


	3. III – Welcome x To x The Jungle

 

                Making her way past the small buildings of Silvervale, Siouxsie almost stopped multiple times because everything smelled absolutely divine. She hadn’t eaten a proper meal since yesterday and the small snacks in her backpack were mostly for the actual exams. Echo takes a lot of energy with larger ranges and she has a feeling that she’s going to need all of the calorie consumption she can get.

                “Siouxsie! Is that you?” she heard.

                The sound of someone calling her was a shock to the system and needless to say that she was not expecting someone to know her so soon. Turning towards the voice she was met with a young man holding what seemed to be a watering can but it was dropped in favor of hugging her.

                “You’re alive!” they mumbled into her shoulder, “I knew they were lying when they said you died!”

                He pulled back and smiled.

                “It’s so great to see you again. Where have you been? What happened to your face?”

                Whoever this person was knew her on a personal level seeing as how they bombarded her with questions. Siouxsie let a small smile graze her lips. A break couldn’t hurt would it? This could be a great opportunity to gather information and touch base with a potentially old friend before she continued to the exams. Siouxsie vaguely explained what she had been doing for the past five years and the man’s eyes widened the more that she spoke, immediately stepping back to give her space.

                “Oh I’m so sorry! You have no idea who I am and here I was just throwing myself at you,” he suggested that they go inside of the shop to be away from prying ears and closed the door behind them.

                He explained that his name was Gueka and he had been friends with her since they were little. Her father was friends with his father and whenever they went to his grandfather, she would always try to pick a fight with his cousin, who lived with him and his parents. She was brash as a child and it took a bit to keep her in line. He hadn’t seen her for a few years before she went missing but she was supposed to visit for the grand re-opening of the bakery right after the job that she had taken on. From that she had the feeling that her disappearance was due to a job gone wrong. Changing the subject, he asked what she was doing in Silvervale since she obviously wasn’t there to visit.

                “Actually I’m going to take the Hunter Exams-

                Gueka doubled over in laughter at her words, nearly falling out of his chair.

                “That’s hilarious! _You?_ The Hunter Exams?”

                “What’s so funny?” she asked, feeling defensive.

                The man got all of his chuckles out before answering.

                “You always acted like you were too good for the Hunter Exams, claiming that they should just _give_ you the license,” he replied. He let out a breath, a bittersweetness tinging his aura, “As much as I’d love for you to stay longer I’m sure that you can’t… but would you care for some snacks for the road? We have some flavored breads and sweets that I messed up on that we were going to throw out. They still taste great though, just not as marvellous as our usual batches. Since you’re here you can have them. I‘m certain that you’re going to need all of the energy you can get,” he chuckled sadly as he got up from his chair and started to walk into the back room, “It’s amusing really… I worked so hard to perfect my zucchini bread recipe because you wouldn’t eat it… something about it missing something and it threw the flavor off. I wanted you to enjoy it so badly that I never even put it for sale because your approval meant so much to me. Guess I’ll never find out now huh?”

                Siouxsie listened to him as he prepared his offering and walked out with a decent amount of hand-wrapped treats.

                “Here you go,” he placed them onto the table, “These will do you good better than the dumpster-

                “Gueka,” she cut off, gently placing her hands on his, “Once I finish what I have to do, I’m looking forward to trying your zucchini bread.”

                The shop was quiet for a moment. She could feel his body trembling, a few tears landing on her hands. Gueka’s hands turned and grabbed at hers.

                “You had better come back this time! No more of this disappearing stuff alright?”

                “I’ll do my best.”

               

 

                After giving their final good-byes, Siouxsie continued on her way to the mountains. The town had ended quite a bit ago leaving her in the midst of a forest. The actual mountain was still a bit a ways ahead. Being so close to a navigator’s quarters posed an obvious risk evident by the many people surrounding her. Actually… people wasn’t the right word. Their auras felt different, kinda similar to animals. Were there beasts in this forest? Well they weren’t attacking so she wasn’t going to make a move. Her primary objective was to meet the navigator.

                The ground shook violently as a large creature fell from the sky and landed before her. From what she could tell it had two heads with thick, lengthy whiskers supported by long, slender necks. There were large spikey feathers on its tail, bird-like feet with razor-sharp talons, and wings similar to a bat’s. It towered above her and roared a warning in her face. Siouxsie didn’t hesitate to reach up and pet the beast on both of its heads right between the eyes. The beast flinched in confusion but then quickly relaxed under her touch. Her hand glided effortlessly over the smooth scales.

                “I’ve never seen someone just reach up and pet a Foulserpent before,” she heard a male voice call out, “Do you deal with these guys often?”

                A Foulserpent? Fitting name.

                “Nope, I’ve never seen one before,” when the man made a shocked, choking noise she continued, “If a beast truly wishes to cause harm then their aura will show their intentions. This one had no such thing in theirs, almost as if they were just going through the motions.”

                “Well I’ll be damned. I’ve never had someone pass my little exam so fast.”

                “I passed?” asked Siouxsie, finally removing her hands from the beast.

                “Yeah, most people either try to fight or run away but you saw right through it. Congrats.”

                That was remarkably easy, she noted. The man introduced himself as Tol and told her that if they wanted to get to Zaban by tomorrow, they’d have to take ‘Ol’ Cualli’, referring to the Foulserpent. Siouxsie was reasonably nervous at the thought of leaving the ground but Tol assured her that they’d be fine as long as she didn’t wiggle around too much.

                Needless to say, she took the flight incredibly well however not being able to see anything did make her incredibly uneasy. Tol had explained his job as a navigator during the trip. Apparently their job is not only to get applicants to the exam but to also make sure that the applicants are even worthy in the first place. In all of the years that he’d been a navigator, only 10 had passed under his watch.

 

                Finally in Zaban City, Cualli waiting just outside in order to not freak out the residents, the two continued on the final stretch of street with tightly packed houses, street vendors lined up just as tightly. There were so many people around that Siouxsie had to ask to hold onto Tol’s shirt in case they got separated. There were vendors trying to sell them stuff from left and right, anything from jewelry to food. They also had to look out for the occasional horse-drawn carts since they didn’t care if someone was in the way or not.

                Out of the busy street (finally), Siouxsie let go of the man’s shirt and let out a sigh of relief. She could barely see back there, to the point of hardly even using Echo since it would just be a waste of energy.

                “Hey, you alright?” he asked.

                “Y-Yeah, just a bit overwhelmed. I should be fine.”

                Tol nodded and guided her through the large square, a small park to their left, and towards a small, unsuspecting building. It smelled like a restaurant.

                “Here we are. Fairly certain this is the location.”

                “If it is, that’s awfully smart. No one would ever guess that the exams would be here.”

                “Exactly!” he exclaimed as he held open the sliding door to the restaurant.

                Inside was… definitely a restaurant. There was a bar and people sitting in stools either eating or waiting for their food. A small man with a chef’s hat was behind the bar cooking something that smelled divine.

                “Welcome!” greeted the chef, “Take a seat!”

                “Is the back room available?”

                The chef had hesitated to answer, most likely glancing over to the two.

“What are you having?”

                “The steak combo,” ordered Tol, “the one that will make us see the light.”

                A… steak combo? Really? They couldn’t have gone with something a little more… _fitting_ for the type of food being served here?

                “A combo huh? How do you want them cooked?” asked the chef.

                “Grilled slowly over a low flame till done.”

                “Got it,” the chef nodded, “see yourself to the backroom.”

                Tol led Siouxsie behind the other patrons and towards the backroom. He stopped at the door.

                “Well, this is as far as I go. This room will take you directly to the Hunter Exams.”

                “It was nice meeting you Tol,” she smiled, “Take care of yourself and all of your beasts ok.”

                He laughed.

                “Siouxsie I’ve been taking care of them for longer than you’ve been alive,” he snorted, “But thank you. I wish you the best of luck.”

                She thanked him one last time before turning to open the door. She had finally made it to the Hunter Exam. Now came the hard part, actually passing it. Of course, she couldn’t forget her other goal either.

                Someone there had to know her.

 


	4. IV – The x Exams x Begin

 

                The backroom was completely empty save for a lazy Susan and three chairs. Not what she expected. Whatever this room actually was, there was no definitive way out besides where she came in. Maybe people came in later to retrieve applicants but she may as well get comfortable. As she moved to do just that, the room suddenly started to descend. _Oh_ … it’s an elevator. That made sense. It took a few minutes to reach its destination, all the while her nerves became increasingly worse. She played with the ring on a thin chain around her neck absentmindedly. Siouxsie didn’t think that she’d be this nervous about the exams. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her nerves just as the elevator dinged. The doors opened, revealing a large underground area full of people. She knew that everyone’s eyes were on her and would have greeted them but the air was so thick with apprehension that she feared even opening her mouth. A lot of people here were not nen users, given by their near-perfectly human-shaped auras but that didn’t mean that they weren’t going to be formidable opponents.

                “Hello!” greeted a small, pudgy guy, nearly startling her, “Please take your number badge! Be sure to wear this on your chest at all times please, and be careful not to lose it ok?”

                Oh great. The first thing she’s given is a tag with something on it. She really needed to figure out how to read. Sticking it to her chest in defeat, Siouxsie began to walk over to a wall away from everyone else.

                “Hey! Welcome to the exams!” someone greeted, “My name’s Tonpa, what’s yours?”

                Their aura was full of mal-intent. What was he up to?

                “It’s Siouxsie.”

                “Nice to meet you! How about a nice soda to commemorate you getting here?”

                His aura flared when he uttered the word ‘soda’. Obviously the guy tampered with them and was trying to decrease his competition. She didn’t want to cause trouble so early on so she feigned ignorance.

                “Oh, no thank you. I filled up a while ago. If I drink that I’ll burst!” she chuckled awkwardly.

                “How about one for the road then?”

                She was incredibly tempted to snap at the guy and tell him to buzz off but the sound of someone calling her removed her attention from the man to a rapidly incoming body. Whoever this person was had their arms outstretched, ready for a hug. She did the same at the very last moment and twirled around when they made contact to decrease the momentum.

                “I thought that you were dead SiouSiou!”

                A child? Whoever they were, their aura was amazingly silent, a murderous personality hidden deep inside. She didn’t think that she’d find someone down there so fast but whoever this boy was, he knew her by a nickname. She was kinda unprepared so she just stood there trying to think of what to say. His surprise sounded just as genuine as Gueka’s and his aura showed no trace of deception.

                “Uh SiouSiou? You ok?” he asked, “And where have you been? I was worried about you!”

                “Oh… sorry… I-uh… just needed a second,” answered Siouxsie as she put him down and crouched to be closer to his ear. She didn’t want everyone to hear her business, “As for where I’ve been, a few years back I…well long story short I got into a fight and lost my memory and my sight. I came here because I was hoping that _someone_ might know me… but I didn’t think that I’d find one so quickly.”

                The boy stood there as if processing her information. His aura tinged in sadness before bouncing back to normal.

                “Oh, well in that case my name’s Killua,” he introduced, “Let’s see… you have ties to my family somehow. I was too young to remember the exact reason but I remember that you would come and visit all of the time before something happened and you moved in with us. Honestly, you were like a sister to me. That’s really all that I can tell you unfortunately.” He explained, “Your number’s 380 by the way.”

                380? Darn. Siouxsie thought that she was making great time and would have gotten no more than 200. Oh well. She thanked Killua and told him that even though he didn’t know a lot, she had found a friend here, a close one too, and that’s what really mattered. The two had talked for a little while longer. It was mostly Killua asking questions about some of the stuff that she skipped over in her rather short explanation. Shortly after he ran out of questions, they could hear Tonpa in the background explaining some of the other attendees to a group of three. The sudden sound of someone screaming caught everyone’s attention.

                 “My how unusual~,” everyone heard, “Seems this poor man’s arms have turned into flower petals ♦.”

                Siouxsie couldn’t get a good look at the person who had spoken but Tonpa had spoken up again. Number 44, Hisoka the magician, he called him a psychopath. Apparently he tried to kill an examiner last year. Scary. Tonpa then changed the subject and handed the group of three cans of soda, which according to Killua were full of laxatives. The youngest one noticed almost immediately that something was wrong with the soda and spit it out. The other two spit theirs out straight away and dumped them out as well, one of them yelling at him. Siouxsie and Killua let out a chuckle at the man pleading for them to forgive them. There was no tricking that one, he was sharp. Killua excused himself and went to go get more sodas from Tonpa because apparently poisons don’t hurt him. Seriously, what kind of child was he?

                A loud, high pitched bell rang throughout the area from a single point gaining everyone’s attention. The wall keeping everyone in slowly rose, revealing a man standing in a long corridor.

                “I apologize for the delay. Thank you for waiting,” announced the man, “The entry period for hunter applicants is officially closed. So with no further ado, the Hunter Exam will now begin.”

                Siouxsie pushed off of the wall to prepare herself for what was to come. The man added some words of caution, if you’re short on luck or ability then you could end up injured or dead. If you don’t like your odds then it would be wise to leave. No one moved an inch from their spots. Everyone was determined to pass. She fingered her ring as she swallowed a nervous lump in her throat. She prayed that her inability to see wouldn’t get her killed. Injured, she can handle because you can always heal from those. Death is permanent.

                “Right then, very well. All 404 applicants will now participate in phase 1.”

                The man turned and began to move away from the crowd, prompting everyone to follow. Killua was still over by Tonpa but he could catch up if he wanted to. The pace started off easy with a nice walk but quickly accelerated from a jog to actual running. The man at the front decided that now would be a great time to introduce himself, Satotz, the examiner for phase 1. His job was to take everyone to phase 2. Ah, so it’s similar to the train, but instead of getting on, you had to keep up. In that case… Siouxsie reigned in her Echo to just a small area around her and in front. She really should have bought a new pair of sneakers. It was going to be a long run.

                After a little over 4 hours had passed, a surprising amount of people had already dropped in exhaustion. She, however, had yet to feel like giving up. She was sweating from exertion but could probably go for another hour before she called it quits. They had finally made it to a large staircase, her worst enemy. Satotz announced that they’ve reached the 80km mark and suggested that they speed up. Siouxsie groaned and stopped before the first step. There were some stragglers behind her and she figured that there would be a small window of time to reach the top after Satotz did. She could afford to take a small break.

                “Hey SiouSiou!” she hard Killua call not long after, running with another boy, “Wanna race? Loser has to buy dinner!”

                “Alright you’re on!”

                She got herself into position with the incoming boys and as soon as they lined up, all of them raced up the stairs. They passed so many people on the way up who had given up. Killua complained that the exams were boring because everyone was so slow and this was too easy. They then talked about why they wanted to become hunters before turning to Siouxsie.

                “What about you?”

                “Me? I’m looking for people who know who I am. Turns out Killua is one of them.”

                The boy, who she found out his name was Gon, questioned why she was looking for people.

                “I lost my memory a while back.” Was all she said in reply, “I’d tell you more but-“

                People around them exclaimed that the exit was in sight and cheered. At that, all three picked up the pace. The top was so close and they were neck and neck! Just before the last 5 steps she miscalculated the distance and missed the top step, stumbling slightly as she lost her ground. Gon and Killua yelled “Goal!” as they emerged with Siouxsie just a second behind. The boys argued about who was first and asked Satotz who was fastest. They tied but it didn’t matter, she came last.

                “You get to buy us dinner now SiouSiou,” cheered Killua.

                “Just don’t break my wallet ok?”

                “No promises!”

 

 

                After meeting Gon’s friends Kurapika and Leorio, Satotz informed everyone that they were heading into Swindler’s Swamp. They needed to cross it in order to reach phase 2 but it was full of creatures that eat people. If you’re tricked, you’ll die. After a brief scare of a probable imposter examiner and Hisoka stabbing a guy with cards, everyone began their way into the swamp.

                The ground was uneven and wet but thanks to the small snack Siouxsie ate while waiting for everyone else, she felt like she could continue. The fog did pose a slight issue as it was interfering with her Echo but she near-effortlessly made her way through the swamp with Satotz and some others to a large wall with two spires on either side of a door. Killua had remained by her side basically the entire time but at some point lost Gon and the others. They hoped they didn’t die.       

                “So SiouSiou, if you can’t see, how are you getting around so easily?”

                “I’m using ne- eh- e-echolocation?”

                She forgot that you’re not allowed to reveal nen to people who don’t know what it is. That was a nice save but Killua didn’t seem to buy it.

                “So you’re a bat now?”

                “Sort of.”

                “But how do you know who you’re talking to before they even talk?”

                Man this kid was good. He wanted to know the real reason.

                “Well… everyone has their own unique aura that describes them. If I memorize it then I can distinguish between people.”

                “That’s so cool! You gotta teach me that!” he exclaimed, eyes lighting up in fascination, “I could do so many things with an ability like that!”

                She chuckled and fluffed his hair.

                “Maybe when the exam’s…”

                Killua focused in on her when she stopped talking and pulled her hand away. She could feel a set of eyes on her. From what she could tell, it was that weird guy Girrachuathur… Guitar-caricature? Whatever his name was.

                “What’s wrong?”

                “That guy over there been eyeing me ever since the exam started. Hisoka has been too. I’m just not sure why.”

                She couldn’t get a good read on the guy’s aura. It was like it was being contained in an unnatural form. It was so weird that she didn’t know what to think of it.

                “Want me to ‘talk to them’?”

                “No… I’m sure that I can handle it if anything escalates.”

                Clearly Killua hadn’t the slightest of idea who they were but did she know them? From their actions, it’s obvious that they either know or think they know her… but was it in a positive way or a negative way?

 


	5. V – Time x To x Cook

 

                Eventually, more people made it through Swindler’s Swamp, including Kurapika and Gon. Leorio had been carried in unconscious on Hisoka’s shoulder and dropped by a tree. Siouxsie was curious about what had happened but chose to keep quiet. If anything, Killua would ask when he went over.

                “Excellent work! Everyone!” they heard Satotz congratulate, “The second phase will take place here in the Visca Forest Park. So I shall now take my leave. I wish you all the very best of luck!”

                The man walked back into the swamp just as the doors to the wall opened. Inside was a lavish mansion with multiple box-like areas on the front lawn. Two people sat on the mansion’s porch, one much larger than the other.

                “Will all of the applicants who passed the first phase please enter,” they commanded.

                Once people started to make their way in, they greeted everyone and informed them that their names were Menchi and Buhara. Almost immediately after the introduction Buhara’s stomach growled loudly and whispers started to grow in intensity amongst the applicants.

                “Well there you have it, the second phase,” Menchi paused, “Will be cooking!”

                People didn’t exactly seem to care for the idea of ‘cooking’ for a phase but Siouxsie was all in. Years on the road and in the wilderness can sharpen your cooking skills. She had an advantage. Menchi informed one of the protesters that their goal was to make a meal that would satisfy their palettes, further explaining that they’re Gourmet Hunters. People around her started to laugh but Siouxsie grew anxious. Gourmet Hunters seek out only the best of ingredients. Siouxsie’s only had Mars’, her own, and cheap restaurant food to go off of. There was no way she was going to pass. But then again, maybe everyone else wouldn’t meet their expectations either.

                “So you’re both Gourmet Hunters? And what exactly do you want us to make?” someone asked.

                Buhara stood to his feet, slightly shaking the ground under his weight.

                “Today’s required ingredient will be pork!”

                Great. The one meat she’s had the _least_. Pigs were tricky creatures. Catching one was difficult! One guy had the nerve to ask ‘pork? Like pig meat?’ Yes like pig meat! Ever have pork before? Buhara told everyone that they could use any species of pig in Visca Forest and that they would use the cooking facilities –oh so that’s what the boxy-stations were –to prep their dishes. In order to win, they needed to make a satisfactory dish. Fun. They were all going to fail.

                “Let the exam’s second phase –“ Buhara hit his stomach like a gong –“Begin!”

                Everyone ran out of the gates in a hurry and into the forest, Siouxsie right behind them. People were searching high and how, even behind trees for a pig. The sound of Killua’s screaming drew her attention away from her search. Before she could check on him, the ground started to rumble. In the distance she could make out Killua, Gon and his friends running from a sounder of swine…. Large, angry pigs. Everyone panicked and started to run away but some weren’t so lucky and were rammed into. There was no way that she could have run away. The quickest way out was into a tree. She watched as the pigs ran by and when the time was right she jumped onto a strangler’s back. The pig reared and tried to get her off, running in circles. If she let go then she’d surely die.

                “Their foreheads are their weak spot!” Killua called out to her.

                “Their foreheads? Alright then.”

                Siouxsie reached into her thigh holsters and pulled out a hand knife and rushed to stab it in its forehead. The pig squealed and then crumbled to the ground. Sweet.

                “Thanks Killua!”

                Everyone grabbed their pigs and made a mad-dash to the mansion, eager to cook it. It was a bit difficult to navigate the cooking station but once she figured out which dial turned on the flames, she started to roast the pig over a low flame. There were some fruits, vegetables, and seasonings on the other tables.

_‘I’d better use those to my advantage.’_

                Time was up and by the time they had gotten to her, everyone had failed. She was nervous bringing up her plate. Her pig had been sliced and stuffed with a few vegetables and glazed with a mixture of chopped cherries, crushed pineapple, and various other ingredients.

                “I’d been watching you cook this since you seemed to be the only one who knew what they were doing,” Menchi admitted, “This better be worth it.”

                She pulled out a fork, tore off a piece, and popped it in her mouth. All was silent as she ate. Siouxsie fidgeted with her ring. Menchi sighed.

                “It’s plesant _but_ it’s undercooked.”

                Back at her seat and pig devoured by Buhara (that can’t be safe), Menchi stood to her feet.

                “So none of you pass to the next stage. Except maybe you –“ she pointed to Siouxsie –“This Phase’s over!”

                She passed? She had to admit, she had the advantage but this phase was wholly unfair to everyone else. This wasn’t good. The applicants grew rowdy at her judgment, some even glared at her with anger and jealousy. For the first time in a while, she feared for her life. Menchi tried to explain that they failed because they couldn’t follow instructions and some even made it fancy with no flavor. One guy wasn’t having it and told her that he was here to become a blacklist hunter and no ‘stupid Gourmet Hunter’ was going to tell them no. Using the term ‘stupid’ to define your examiner’s field wasn’t the best idea; Menchi turned the other way, telling them better luck next year.

                “Don’t mess with me!”

                The guy went to swing at Menchi but Buhara stepped forward and delivered a harsh smack, sending the man into one of the spires. There was a high chance that he died. Menchi chided him for stepping in and he apologized claiming that she looked like she was going to kill him.

_‘Dude I’m pretty sure that **you** just did.’_

                Menchi walked down the steps.

                “Let’s get this straight: we frequently venture into the dens of ferocious beasts in search of the finest ingredients. And every Hunter is proficient in at least some sort of martial arts. You lack focus and the will to experiment with new things. And that alone disqualifies basically all of you from becoming Hunters!”

                Everyone was silent. There was a sudden spike in hostility but it was quickly extinguished by a voice from above.

                “Well that said, it seems a bit excessive to fail every single applicant!” the voice articulated.

                A large blimp floated above the manor. Someone pointed out that it had the symbol for the Hunter’s Association on it. Someone from the exam committee? A person jumped out of the blimp and landed on the ground with a bang, blinding everyone in the vicinity with dirt. An old man? His aura was strong but well contained.

                “ _He_ is the head of the exam committee and he’s responsible for the Hunter Exam,” Menchi introduced, “Chairman Netero.”

                Netero tried to make it seem as if he wasn’t that important to make people feel less intimidated. It didn’t work.

                “I only intervene in the exams when little issues like this one pop up,” stated Netero, “Now Menchi, it’s come to my attention that you’ve chosen to fail all of this year’s applicants. Reason being, as I understand it, their general reluctance to challenge the unknown.”

                “I did pass one, but I’m sorry sir. I snapped when a candidate insulted Gourmet Hunters. I’m afraid I made the exam harder than necessary.”

                Netero gently reprimanded her for making the exam unacceptable and in response Menchi tried to resign from her examiner position and asked if they could retake the second phase. The old man had a better idea. They’d get a redo but she’d also have to do the exam along with them. She liked the idea and announced the new challenge, boiled eggs? Everyone was ordered to get on the blimp, their destination: Split Mountain.

 

 

                Split Mountain was… exactly as it sounded. A mountain with a large crack down the middle. As everyone disembarked, Netero informed Siouxsie that since she passed, she didn’t have to partake in the redo. In her opinion though, it only seemed fair that she join in since she passed by pure luck.

                “This is it,” announced Menchi as she and everyone else peered down the large crack, “Take a look at what’s down there.”

                Large, thick Spider Eagle’s webs. Ugh. Siouxsie hated spiders. A strong gust of wind blew up from the crack, pushing her hair out of her face. Menchi informed everyone that there was something underneath all of the webs; Spider Eagle eggs hung from multiple sacs. Ugh they were so creepy. Netero vaguely explained that the sacs were for protecting and the eggs were also known as ‘Dream Eggs’. She wondered why they were called that but there was a decent chance that they’d find out by the end of the test. Menchi jumped into the crack and grabbed onto a web, sitting there for a moment before letting go, grabbing an egg on the way. Another strong gust brought her back up to everyone else. That… actually looked pretty fun. The guy that Buhara slapped earlier seemed _very_ hesitant to jump and get his egg. All that talk but when it came down to it, he was ready to piss his pants at the very notion of danger. You can’t be a blacklist hunter if you don’t live for the thrill.

                Siouxsie didn’t need prompting. With one look to Killua and Gon, the three as well as Kurapika and Leorio jumped into the crack. The others jumped off too just as the six of them grabbed onto the spider web. One guy, who probably wanted to be the first one to finish, let go prematurely. He plummeted to his death. Idiot. Always assess the situation before acting. It’s basically the number one rule! Leorio would have been next if it weren’t for Gon telling him to wait. If you listened hard enough, you could hear the winds… feel the air pressure changing… it wasn’t ready yet. The web started to give, pulling off the cliff from the weight. People were panicking and releasing their hold of the web before it was time. They learned firsthand that in the face of danger, you need to remain calm. Although that lesson isn’t exactly useful for the dead. Siouxsie felt the air pressure change just as Gon gave the ok, the remainders let go and grabbed and egg, following the gust of wind back to the top. There were quite a few people who hadn’t jumped down, including the guy who called Gourmets stupid. Sucks to suck.

                With the eggs boiled and cooled, everyone dug into their catch. Oh man they really marvelous! And her nen had been starting to lose its potency too. What a well-timed snack! All that she needed now was a nap. Netero seemed to be feeling rather generous and offered to take everyone to the third phase. She wasn’t sure how far away the destination was but she could definitely sneak one in.

 

 

 

 

                Nope, no nap. At least not yet.

                Netero gathered everyone into the front of the blimp. No one really knew what he wanted. Tension was high once again.

                “I will now take the opportunity to introduce myself properly to the remaining 42 applicants. I am Netero, the chairman of the selection committee for this year’s Hunter Exam. It is a pleasure to meet all of you.”

                The small, round guy that had given Siouxsie her badge was there was well.

                “And I’m his secretary, Beans.”

                “I had originally planned to make my appearance during the exam’s final phase, but, well, seeing as how I’m already here…” he started, “I have to admit there’s nothing I love more than this feeling of tension in the air. So I think I’ll stick around for the remainder of the trip.” 

                Beans told everyone that they would arrive at their destination at 8am tomorrow morning. Dinner was waiting in the dining hall and there were beds just down the hall. Siouxsie tingled at the thought of _actual_ food and _actual_ sleep. Killua asked her if he wanted to join him and Gon on their adventure around the blimp but the sound of food made her turn them down. People started to clear out and just as she was about to leave herself, Netero called her.

                “Excuse me, number 380, Siouxsie was it? Do you have a minute?”

                “Um… yes sir.”

                He waited until a few more people had left the room to speak again.

                “Forgive me if I come across as insensitive but I’ve noticed that you’ve lost your vision… rather gruesomely from the looks of it,” he pointed out, “I’m rather curious as to how you still manage to maneuver so well. You don’t seem to rely on your ears too much.”

                Siouxsie explored around the room to see if any of the others left in the room had figured out nen. At her movements, Netero suggested that they go somewhere private. He led her down a corridor and into what looked like a training room.

                “It’s obvious by your reaction that you use nen.”

                “Yes. I can use two different types of nen, emission and transmutation so it may not work with just one.”

                “Two you say? Impressive considering their affinity.”

                “Yeah, I use the latter to make my aura resemble particle waves and the former to discreetly send them out and bounce off of objects. I say discreetly because it’s almost unnoticeable to anyone using Gyo. I can only see so much and the more I use Echo, the less detail I can make out. So I have to keep up my energy and often require rest. Though, my Hatsu in general drains me.”

                Netero hummed in amusement.

                “I’m certain that one day, with your Hatsu, you’d be a formidable foe to anyone that crosses your path. You must work on your endurance though. Your need to replenish your energy will become your Achilles heel during crucial moments,” he informed, “Similar to now, I’d love to test your ability for myself but it’s obvious that you’re relatively drained. I suppose that I’ll have to wait until a later phase to see you in action.”

                After a quick chat and goodbye, Siouxsie made her way to the dining hall. Mostly everyone had finished and wandered off already but there was still a decent amount of food left.

                Belly full and drowsiness kicking in, she made her way to the beds. There were multiple doors, each with two bunk beds. She wasn’t really paying attention and opened the door to one only to freeze when she felt familiar presences. Hisoka and Guitar- Guitarac… whatever. They were both staring her down.

                “Do excuse me,” she uttered robotically.

                She closed the door before any of them could utter a word. The air in that room was stifling. It almost killed her mood to sleep. _Almost_. Hurriedly opening the farthest door from theirs, she picked a bed and finally went to sleep.

 

 


	6. VI – Descending x Trick x Tower

 

                Siouxsie was awoken hours later, clutching a pillow as an announcement rang through the speakers. She stretched out her tight muscles and sat up, rejuvenated and ready to take on the remainder of the exam. Bring it on! But first she needed to fix her hair which was undoubtedly a mess. She reached up and pulled the needles from her already loose ponytail, letting her hair relax against her back. There was always something odd about those needles. There was a nen signature all around it… but it wasn’t hers. She first noticed it when she was able to see auras and wondered just who’s it was. Did she buy them like that… or were they given to her? She may never find out. The intercom came back on, reminding everyone to make their way back to the head of the blimp or risk being left behind. She’d have to put her hair up once she got there.

                Finally with the group, she focused on getting her hair back up though was partially distracted by a pair of eyes on her. It was that weird guy whose name she can’t pronounce. Siouxsie was growing irritated at the near-constant staring. If he had something to say to her then he should just come out and say it! She was so close to walking over and giving him a piece of her mind but the feeling of the blimp descending changed her mind. She needed to wait.

                With the blimp landed, everyone was instructed to exit. Siouxsie never got the chance to look out of the window, though even if she did her Echo doesn’t work through windows. She had no idea where they were, all she knew was that they were incredibly high in the air, the oxygen not nearly as abundant there. Beans cleared his throat, gaining everyone’s attention.

                “Everyone, this is the site of the Hunter Exam’s third phase,” they stated, “You’ll be competing here at the top of the Trick Tower. In order to pass this phase you must reach the base of this tower alive. The time limit is 72 hours.”

                Alive? Just how high was it? While the secretary announced the phase to begin, she made her way to the edge of the tower. Oh… wow… ok were they high. There were a couple of flying creatures along the expanse of the tower, waiting for someone to become their next meal. Climbing down was definitely not an option. There had to be another way down.

                With the secretary in the blimp and away from everyone, people started getting to work. As Siouxsie had walked around, she had noticed that several of the panels were loose underneath her feet. Perhaps that was the way to go? Relocating one of the panels with relative ease, she let out a small yelp when the ground suddenly gave. She fell for all of 2 seconds before landing in someone’s arms.

                “Don’t worry little lady I got you,” she heard a man say.

                Oh, number 294…

                “Hanzo right? Thank you but would you mind putting me down?”

                “Oh right, sorry,” he remembered, doing as she asked, “It’s a good thing that you came when you did. The sign on the wall says ‘It’s dangerous to go alone, much worse than two. Two can be better than one it’s the safest number since the number one’. So now that you’re here, I can keep going.”  

                Hanzo rapped his knuckle on the sign as he mentioned it and right as he finished speaking the wall grumbled as it rose, allowing them to continue. The long corridor was dark, which was to be expected. Hanzo seemed to be a little intimidated by his lack of sight, staying close to the wall and walking carefully in case something was in his path. In this scenario, it would be ‘was not’ as there was a drop-off not too far ahead from where they were walking.

                “You know, I never did get your name,” said Hanzo, “It’s only fair since you know mine.”

                “It’s Siouxsie,” she introduced as she held out an arm to stop him just before the floor ended, “ _And_ _you_ almost died. You gotta be careful.”

                Hanzo thanked her as he gazed out into the darkness, remarking about how she was able to see.

                Siouxsie chose not to respond to his question and gazed in the darkness. There was a thin platform not too far from them. If they ran and jumped they could make it. The sound of fire igniting accompanied the light filling the area. The sudden brightness was enough to make her wince, blinking a few times to ease her eyes. With their (his) visibility back, the ninja was able to see the large gap in the floor.

                “It doesn’t seem that bad,” Hanzo pointed out.

                A large pendulum axe descended from the ceiling between them and the platform.

                “I could do this with my eyes closed,” he bragged.

                Decent sized spikes attached to a metal barrel grated at the platform. Sparks flew from the metal scraping onto concrete.

                “Eh,” he shrugged.

                Bolts from a ballista shot across the remaining open spaces. Hanzo opened his mouth to speak.

                “If you say another word I swear I will push you off of this ledge.”

                That shut him up. The two sat there for a moment, watching all of the deathtraps do their work. The ballistas would stop to reload after every 3 waves, the spikes rose every 10 seconds for 2 seconds and the axe had a period of 6 seconds. If they timed it just right, they could get past. Siouxsie took a deep breath and leapt towards the platform, barely missing the axe. The bolts had just finished firing, stopping to reload. She had less than 5 seconds to get across. The spikes rose to about half of her height and she used her momentum to slide underneath, quickly getting to her feet and running to the other side just as the bolts launched.

                “Wow! That was amazing!” Hanzo cheered over the machinery.

                “Do you need help getting over?” she called.

                “No, I think I understand what you did.”

                When the time was right, he did just as she did. From there, there was a few more daredevil-like trials that required so much teamwork that Siouxsie never wanted to hear that word again. The final section was a welcomed change. A battle. And against criminals; criminals that did heinous enough crimes to warrant being locked in a large tower surrounded by hungry monsters in the middle of nowhere. Siouxsie and Hanzo did a hasty round of rock-paper-scissors to see who went first. He won.  His opponent was a serial arsonist with a body count of 100+ and wasn’t someone who liked to fight. He had to participate in, of all things, a board game. One that relied on skill and luck. Thankfully it was (somehow) similar to some of the training that he had went through back home and won… by the skin of his teeth.

                Siouxsie’s opponent was someone who would hopefully put up a fight. They were a serial killer; killing young women and cutting off their limbs, leaving only the torso. They complemented her by calling her beautiful, exquisite even and ended by saying that they couldn’t wait to add her to their collection. This person could use nen and would most undoubtedly use it. She reeled in her Echo to the bare minimum in preparation and got into a fighting stance. One leg behind, legs bent and arms partially up to block incoming attacks. The other got into a stance as well and charged at her. They were quick. Siouxsie almost didn’t see them coming, dodging just in time to avoid the ground being shattered where she once stood. Yep, they were using Ko… and they were strong. She would use hers but not only is she uncertain if the other two knew nen but her Hatsu was kind of destructive. If she wasn’t careful, she could destroy the entire platform. The killer managed to land a hit, knocking the air out of her. If she hadn’t used Ryu at the last possible moment, there would have been massive internal damage. Hell she may have even been torn apart.

                Screw it, let’s go.

                Jumping back, Siouxsie focused her aura into her hands, making sure to keep a decent amount around her for defense, and (after a bit of effort) ignited the area around her hands. She didn’t want to use it but if they were going to fight with nen then so was she. The killer whistled in admiration, remarking about the power behind just that initial burst of strength. Siouxsie didn’t let them finish before rushing forward and aiming a punch right for their face. Her punch landed, burning his face, but they used the recoil to grab her arms and throw her into the ground, the concrete shattered into a crater around her body. Ah that was going to hurt later. The killer still had a hold on her arms. She used her feet to rear up and kick them in the chin. They favored pressing their hand to the new injury and let her go. In the scuffle, her clothes had become disheveled but she didn’t have time to fix it. Her eyes narrowed in confusion when their aura suddenly froze in intense fear.

                “I-I withdraw,” they vocalized, voice shaking, “You win.”

                They hurriedly scuttled away, leaving Siouxsie and Hanzo relatively confused. They clearly had the upper hand. What happened? She wasn’t going to complain though. Releasing her nen and reestablishing Echo to normal output, she shook her hands. She still didn’t have the best control on her Hatsu and if her hands felt overly warm, which they did, then her aura had the chance to reignite. Once her hands felt sufficiently cool, she fixed her shirt and turned towards Hanzo. A new pathway had opened up allowing them to continue. The two made it to the final room, solved a small door puzzle (yay more teamwork) and took a gigantic slide down to the waiting room.

                “Siouxsie, number 380 is the 3rd to pass, Hanzo, number 294 is the 4th to pass. Time elapsed: 3 hours 28 minutes,” announced an intercom.

                “Fourth? Aw man,” Hanzo complained, “Thought for sure we were going to be the first ones.”

                “You could have come in third but you’re the one who insisted that I go first,” she retorted, “I will admit, I didn’t think that we’d take three and a half hours.”

                And who the hell came in before them so quick- of course. Siouxsie didn’t even have to look to feel their auras. It was like they _wanted_ to be noticed. She sighed. She had to spend another 68 and a half hours in that room with them. Honestly, she’d feel safer around Hanzo. Deciding to stay around him, Siouxsie asked to join in whatever he was doing. Turns out, the man loved to train… a lot. Siouxsie didn’t mind though, she had to admit, she kinda needed to as well. She’d been slacking with her nen training. You may hone it mentally but you also need to maintain your physical strength to wield it properly. It was a little unnerving doing warm-ups and stretches with those two watching her every move but once more people started coming in, she was able to relax a bit. She had a feeling that she would need to fight someone later on so she made sure to listen to people’s numbers as they came though and glimsped at their auras, hopefully memorizing them.

                A food cart came in around hour 40 with a vast array of food. Everyone grabbed something right way, except Hanzo because ‘it’s the ninja way to only consume what one has prepared’. He only caved when Siouxsie told him to shut up and grab something. It was once they sat down to eat that he asked something that she knew she couldn’t talk her way out of.

                “I meant to ask you earlier, how did you do that fire thing? I mean, your hands aren’t even _burned_.”

                Siouxsie nearly choked on her sandwich at his question. She was stupid to think that he wouldn’t ask questions. Great. She sighed in defeat.

                “If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone unless you’re certain that they can do it too. I can get in a lot of trouble for telling someone who can’t,” she whispered. Once he agreed she continued, “I used a technique that lets you use your own aura, or life-energy, to fight or defend. There are 6 aura types that I won’t go into but I can use two of them. One of them allows me to change my aura to mimic something else. Hence the fire. It also helps me to see. Because it’s my aura and I’ve trained with this technique for years, it doesn’t burn me,” she speedily explained, “Hanzo when you pass the exams, or even if you fail, it is _crucial_ to learn this technique as soon as possible. The world is dangerous and being without it is a death wish. And before you ask, no, I will not teach you. Find someone else.”

                “I see. Thank you for that valuable information.”

                At hour 44, the two had exhausted their energy and were resting. For a ninja, the man was awfully talkative. Siouxsie almost regretted (vaguely) telling him about nen. It was weird though, the entire time that she had interacted with Hanzo, she felt this hostile aura. She couldn’t figure out where it came from since she only noticed it once there were eight of them in the room and everyone _but_ Hanzo knew nen. No one in the room seemed to notice either which means that the person sending it out was a really good actor.

                She had dozed off somewhere in the middle of a conversation and woke up at hour 50. There was just over a day left. A few new people had entered and she asked Hanzo to tell them their badge numbers while she memorized their auras. Killua, Gon and his friends had yet to emerge. She wasn’t entirely worried but they were running out of time. If she focused on their auras, they were all sitting in one spot. Tonpa was there too. They weren’t _dead_ , Killua and Gon were moving about quite a bit. But why were they just sitting there?

                For the last 5 hours, she was slouched against the wall with her back on both the wall and the ground. Her legs were bent to keep her hands out of view. Siouxsie had her thumb in her fist and was flicking it out like you would with a lighter. Her nail rubbed against her pointer finger, creating friction and a slight spark however it wasn’t enough to create a flame. One of her problems when it came to her Hatsu was igniting her aura. So far she could only create the fire after she had been fighting for a little bit. Once her aura begins to heat up, it ignites. That, in and of itself, was a problem considering that doing that would revel nen to the people who hadn’t learned it yet but what she also wanted to figure out was how to ignite her aura before she starts fighting. Hanzo ‘discreetly’ watched her from his position but she honestly didn’t care. She was more focused on the group of boys who had yet to arrive.  There wasn’t much time left. They were on the move but the intercom announced that there was only three minutes left. They had better hurry. A door opened and a guy walked in before collapsing and dying. What an idiot, he should have just given up and tried again next year. Passing the exam is not worth losing your life for.

                One minute remained and she could sense them coming at a high speed. The slide! It was going to be close.

                “That’s it then, I guess it’s just all 19 of us that are here,” one guy reported.

                No. Not quite. The doors opened, Gon, Kurapika, and Killua stepped out.

                 “Kurapika, number 404 is the 20th to pass. Killua, number 99 is the 21st to pass. Gon, number 405 is the 22nd to pass. Time elapsed: 71h 59m,” announced the intercom.

                 Killua complained about the slide hurting. While she did agree, only 30 seconds remained and Leorio had yet to emerge. Thankfully he came through seconds later fighting with Tonpa.

                “Leorio, number 403 is the 23rd to pass, Tonpa, number 16 is the 24th to pass. Time elapsed: 71h 59m.”

                She let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall. Even though she didn’t know them too well, she was still rooting for them. The third phase was over. It was time for the fourth.

                Let’s hope she was prepared.

 

 


	7. VII – Survive x On x Zevil Island

 

                Everyone who made it through was finally let out of the tower. After being in the dim lighting of torch light for so long the sun was nearly blinding, hurting her eyes, well, her good eye. The gentle breeze felt so nice, a welcomed change to the stale air shared between the 24 of them.

                “Congratulations on escaping Trick Tower everyone,” a short man greeted, “All that remains now are the fourth phase and the final phase.”

                Only two more huh? She could do this. The man pointed behind him. He said that the fourth phase would take place on Zevil Island, an island that was too far away for her to make out. Once she gets closer she’ll be able to see. Siouxsie sighed, she really needed to work on her distance. The man snapped his fingers as another walked over with a cart.

                “To begin, I will need each of you to draw lots now.”

                Lots? Others were confused as well, asking what the point was. The lots were for who you hunt and who hunts you. Siouxsie cheered on the inside but slightly panicked at the same time. She was right in her earlier assumptions but fighting strangers on a secluded island? Fun. She wasn’t taking chances and immediately put her badge into her bra. She’d put it into her backpack later. 

                “In this box are exactly 25 numbered cards, which means one of the numbered cards will correspond with your badge,” he explained, “Now each of you will draw a card in the order you exited the tower. Alright, which of you was first?”

                Hisoka walked up to the box and reached inside, pulling out a card, followed by Guitar-man, Siouxsie, and Hanzo. Eventually Tonpa pulled out his card, signifying that everyone had their target. They had gotten the ok to remove the sticker and reveal their target. She didn’t even bother since she couldn’t read it. She would have to ask Killua what her card said.

                “This box has recorded the number that each of you drew. Each card was tallied and then stored in memory so if you’d like you’re free to dispose of your card. It makes no difference at this point,” he started, “The objective is to steal your target’s I.D. badge.”

                Someone let out a relieved breath, happy that no one dad to be killed.

                “The method is up to you. Procure the badge however you see fit. But if you kill your target, you can take their badge easily.”

                Gee. Thanks for the encouragement. The man went on to explain the rules. You needed to collect 6 points during the fourth phase. Your badge was worth 3 was well as your target’s. Everyone else’s was worth 1 point. That meant you had 3 possible ways to pass. Keep yours and your targets, yours and three others, or the most unlikely, 6 others but you lost yours.

               

                Finally getting off the boat after an hour long boat ride, Siouxsie immediately went into Zetsu just in case the person who had her knew nen. Thanks to Killua, she knew that her target was number 150. From what she could tell by his aura, he didn’t know nen and he was average in strength. It wouldn’t be too hard to get his badge. All that was left now was to wait. She was certain that her target would be expecting an ambush almost immediately but they had a week. There was no rush. She was going to scout the island first. She ran into Gon during her travels but he seemed to be so focused on trying to catch a bird for some reason so she left him be.

                On day 2, Siouxsie still didn’t exactly want to fight but the two people following her were testing her patience. It was her target and who she could only assume was her hunter, number 34. She decided that she was going to ignore them for now, only acting if they acted first. Right now, she wanted to find Hisoka. He had been alone so far and this was a great time to confront him.

                “Hey,” she called out, walking over to the man who was sitting against a tree.

                “Hey yourself~.”

                She sat in front of him on the grass. She kept her guard up, ready to run at a moment’s notice.

                “You know who I am don’t you?”

                “I do.”

                Siouxsie waited for him to continue but he didn’t so she edged him on.

                “You and I grew up in the same city. We were _friends_ even after we both left,” he started.

                Friends? He had put an odd connotation on the word. She would ask why but their time was limited. Though, why did she get the feeling that he was someone who was difficult to tolerate for long periods of time?

                “Though when you disappeared I do admit that I missed having you around ♥.”

                “Did we hang out a lot?”

                “No, not particularly, but we did keep in touch.”

                Siouxsie contemplated asking if they had time to talk later on but Hisoka beat her to it.

                “I’m sure that you have a lot more questions but it will have to wait until after the exam,” he started, “I was planning on going to Heaven’s Arena once this is over. You’re more than welcome to join me ♣.”

                “That sounds… alright… I guess. Thanks?” she stood to her feet, vaguely aware of the fact that Gon was just a stone’s throw away. Kid had a death wish, “Oh, right. Does Gittarackur” – _nailed_ it, she thought. After getting it wrong for so long it felt great to get it right, “ –know me too? He keeps staring. It’s freaking me out.”

                Hisoka chuckled.

                “That, Siouxsie, is not my information to give **♦.** You’re going to have to ask him for yourself.”

                “I understand. Thank you,” his answer was all that she needed to know that they did, in fact, know each other. How though, she was still unsure, “I’d stay but I gotta take care of the guys that have been tailing me all day. It’s giving me a headache.”

                Once she was a good distance away from everyone, Siouxsie pretended to let her guard down, stopping at a brook to clean her face. The idiots took the bait and rushed down to attack. Her target, 150, was using a bladed staff and number 34 was using a sword. With her short blades, she had a disadvantage, but she was stronger. She deflected number 34 and managed to dodge number 150’s attack and kick him in the stomach, pushing 34 away at the same time.

                “So you knew that we were following you huh?” one of them asked.

                “Ever since you started,” she started, “You know I wasn’t going to go after you until a little later but you saved me the trouble of hunting you down number 150.”

                Their aura twisted with intimidation and they tried to cover it up by charging at her like an idiot. 34 ran over as well in an attempt to cover his accomplice. Using Shu, she pushed some of her aura onto her blades and flipped one around in her hand, using the hilt to hit 150 in the plexus. They went down, struggling to breathe. They’d only be out of the picture for a few moments. She’d have to deal with the other swiftly. 34 swung at her with their sword and missed, barely. This one was quick, she’d have to create a distraction. Siouxsie was careful with how she moved. She needed to get behind them but they were being cautious, keeping their front facing her. There was no way that she could knock them out at this rate. She resorted to inconspicuously trying to create a small fire. Her aura hadn’t gotten the chance to warm up properly so Siouxsie managed to get the tiniest flame to start and flicked it at 34. She waited until the heat had started to burn a hole into their shirt.

                “Wait, what’s that smell?” she asked, confusing them.

                At her question they stopped to sniff the air, guard still noticeably up.

                “What smell?”

                Within seconds their shirt was ignited as her nen engulfed the fabric. They screamed and frantically pat themselves down to put it out, ultimately jumping into the brook. As soon as they were back on their feet, Siouxsie punched them in the stomach, knocking them off-balance before elbowing them in the back of the head. They fell to the ground just as she was grabbed from behind. 150 was up faster than she expected. Their grip was tight and it took a little bit of struggling to get it to loosen. Once it was, she bent her knees, and rammed the top of her head into their chin. They let go and grabbed at their face in pain. Using the opportunity, she round-housed them back onto the ground. They groaned in pain, thrashing slightly when she slammed her foot onto their back. Oh if only she was wearing heels. Sneakers will have to do for now.

                “Now, are you going to give me your badge like a good boy or do I have to hurt you some more?”

                “How about you give us yours!” she heard from behind her.

                How was 34 still conscious? Before she could even react, the hilt to their blade made contact with the back of her neck. Her Echo swam in her vision before blackening. She doesn’t remember hitting the ground.

               

 

 

                _Ugh… what happened?_ she thought groggily.

Oh right, she lost… and lost her badge. She failed the exam. Siouxsie sighed. Oh well… she tried her hardest but she let her guard down when it should have still been up. That’s what she gets. She went to move but paused when she touched something that felt awfully warm. What the hell? She ran her hand along the surface. Did someone bury her? She wasn’t dead, what the hell! Whoever did that didn’t do a very good job. She was deep enough to stay warm but she was put in upright. Who would go through the trouble of digging a vertical hole?

                Out from underneath and on solid ground, she reached into her backpack to find her phone. She needed to know how long she had been out and potentially need to figure a way off of Zevil. Mars had helped her reconfigure her, rather nice, phone to make it easier for her to access.

                “Floris,” she called her phone. It vibrated, silently telling her that it was listening, “What day is it?”

                When the phone told her, she nearly screamed. She was unconscious for almost 3 days?! It was already day 5! She _did_ go basically 4 days without any proper sleep but sheesh! Siouxsie sighed and tossed her phone to her bag but a clinking sound confused her. There was nothing in her bag that could have made that noise upon contact with her phone. Reaching in, her breath hitched. There were badges in there… three of them. Someone else had buried her, not 34 nor 150 who she can only assume are their badges in her hand with hers. But who would go through the trouble of catching the others and hiding her underground? Could it have been Killua? Or maybe Gon or the others? Though, burying someone was a weird way to hide them.

                Well, whoever did that, she’d have to make sure that their efforts didn’t go to waste. She would need to stay hidden until the phase ended. Easier said than done, especially since she has someone’s target.

 


	8. VIII – Time x For x Phase 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I honestly just wanna get through the 5th phase.

 

                With everyone who passed off of Zevil Island and on the airship, phase 4 was completed. Siouxsie honestly didn’t feel as if she deserved to be there since she didn’t get the badges herself. Someone had helped her out and kept her out of harm’s way. Either way she passed the 4th phase and was there now. She wouldn’t let her savior’s kindness go to waste. Siouxsie needed to pass the exam.

                Netero had informed everyone earlier that there was some snacks in the dining hall. That was going to be her first stop but she paused when an announcement came on the intercom. The chairman wanted to interview everyone? How odd. It must have to do with the final phase. People were being called in order of badge number. If she counted correctly, she should be the sixth one called, right after _Gittaracktur_! Siouxsie forgot that she needed to talk to him too! Unfortunately, the interviews seemed to be relatively brisk and by the time that she got there, he had already left. Netero noticed her frustration when she entered his office and asked what was wrong.

                “Gittaracktur knows something but I think he’s avoiding me,” she pouted, “I just wanna talk to him.”

                The old man hummed, nodding his head. Of course, he still had others to see and a conversation like that would have to wait. He told her to take a seat and make herself comfortable as he only had a few questions. He had a writing utensil and a paper in his hand to take notes.

                “To start with, _why_ do you want to become a Hunter?” he asked.

                “I’m searching for people who know me and ultimately my past.”

                “Out of the other 9 applicants, which one are you keeping an eye on?”

                “301. I’ll add 99 because he’s proven himself to be quite formidable.”

                “Which of the other 9 applicants would you least want to fight?”

                “44, 99, and 405.”

                She couldn’t possibly fight them. If she had to fight Gittaracktur on the other hand, she wouldn’t hesitate to try and get some answers from him. Though now that she thought about it, no one’s ever seen him fight or attack anyone. Fighting him could be a death wish. Netero thanked her for her time and dismissed her.

                The rest of her day was spent wandering around the airship and hanging with Killua when she ran into him. Apparently Gon had been in a weird mood ever since they got on the airship. Something must have happened after she left the boy alone with Hisoka. By then she had given up on searching for Gittaracktur. They still had another phase to get through. She still had time.

                The next day, the airship docked on the roof of a building. The applicants were told to exit the ship and make their way to an open room. They waited there for a while before 8 other people and all of the phase examiners, including Netero, walked in. He then announced that the final phase would be a 1-on-1 tournament. One of the 8 extra people pulled out a large, rolling rectangle covered in a cloth. A chalkboard?

                Correct. Siouxsie would have felt smug but the thought of possibly fighting Gittaracktur made her skin crawl. _Maybe_ she should have told Netero that she didn’t want to fight him. The fight also posed another problem that Leorio asked as soon as the thought crossed her mind; wouldn’t only one person pass at the end if it’s 1-on-1?

                “No, you only need one win to pass the phase. See it’s the winners who will drop away, the losers will advance to the next round. Which means that the person who finished at the top will not pass,” explained the chairman, pulling the cloth from board, “Make sense to everyone?”

                Siouxsie nearly gasped. She could see lines on the board. Did Netero go through the trouble to add his aura to the ink? Said old man reached over and pulled something from the board and she nearly cried. She could see the entire leaderboard but that’s not why she felt that way. The order had 4 people on one side and 6 on the other. She was on the side with the most people but so was Gittaracktur. Thankfully, she was placed between Pokkle and Killua, _he_ was after Killua. If she beat whoever lost with Pokkle, she wouldn’t have to face Gittaracktur.

                “Impressive yes? You see, under this format, every competitor has at least 2 chances to win a round.”

                People pointed out that the bracket was unbalanced because some people had 5 chances to win to which he replied that the bracket was carefully assembled based on everyone’s individual performances. The higher your performance, the more chances you had to win. Wait, so she performed better than Killua? Said boy wasn’t convinced about his claim and asked him to explain how he even got the scores but of course, Netero stated that the scores were ‘classified’. He quickly explained that he used three categories to come up with a score: physical strength, mental acuity, and overall impression.  The chairman’s explanation still didn’t make either of them feel like the bracket was right but they went along with it.

                “The rules of the battle are quite simple; weapons are allowed, cheating is forbidden. If your opponent admits defeat, you win,” he started,” _However_ if you kill your opponent you _will_ be disqualified without hesitation! And if that happens the exams end and the remaining applicants pass. Got it?”

                No one could die? Her nerve to fight Gittaracktur was back and with a vengeance. She was almost tempted to throw her matches just to face him. And with that the final phase started, Gon vs. Hanzo. There was a clear difference in strength. It would take a miracle for Gon to win that.

                “Go easy on him,” Siouxsie told the ninja.

                “No promises.”

                The ref started the match. Gon ran to the side in an attempt to distance himself but Hanzo was on him, delivering a swift chop to the boy’s neck. Ouch. His aura staggered, flared ever-so-slightly, and stagnated. That was only the beginning of everything. Hanzo tried every trick in the book to get Gon to quit, he even broke his arm. Leorio and Kurapika were close to stepping into the fight during multiple occasions but they knew that if they stepped in then Gon would lose the match. It wasn’t until close to the end of it that Gon started to get the upper-hand. Hanzo was blabbing about his ninja training while showing off his ‘cool one fingered handstand’ when the boy kicked him down. At that point it was downhill for Hanzo. He threatened to remove Gon’s legs as a scare tactic but of course the boy saw a loop-hole, making his threat null. Eventually the ninja gave up, claiming that he couldn’t think of anything else to do to get him to surrender. The idiot –er, Gon claimed that Hanzo quitting wasn’t fair. They needed to have a fair fight. The ninja was done dealing with him and decided that the only way to end the match was to knock him out. He told the referee that the match was over and to move onto the next one but then brought up a very good point: Gon was stubborn. He may decline is advancement so if he was disqualified then wouldn’t everyone else’s battle be completely meaningless? Netero eased everyone's worry; Gon passed. Nothing he says or does can change that.

                Satisfied with his answer, Hanzo turned to walk back to the sidelines.

                “So why… why'd you let him go?” asked Killua.

                Siouxsie mumbled the boy’s name, silently urging him to stop. She knew what he was going to say next when Hanzo asked him what he meant.

                “You didn't have to kill him. With your skills you could have made him surrender somehow.”

 _And_ there it was. Hanzo said that when you torture someone, the victim should despise you for the rest of their lives. Their eyes will show a glint of hostility but Gon didn't have that even _after_ Hanzo broke his arm. He supposed that the little guy won him over. If Killua needed a reason, there it was.

                Killua’s aura was twisted with confusion. She had found out that he was a Zoldyck not long ago and all of his behavior suddenly made so much sense. He didn't understand the logic behind stuff like that. To him, everyone should be out for themselves in times when something’s on the line. Siouxsie’s certain that having a lower score on the bracket than both her and Gon made him feel some type of way. Worrying about rank should be the last thing on his mind because honestly, Killua had nothing to worry about. With his skills, he should pass no problem.

 

 


	9. IX – Gon’s x In x Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Illumi decides to be... Illumi and I still can't write fighting scenes.

 

                With everyone out of the ring, the next battle was set to begin, Kurapika vs. Hisoka. The two fought for a while, not really making any progress with who was winning. It was obvious that Hisoka wasn't really trying since he was much stronger. Said man seemed to grow bored had stopped fighting and walked up to Kurapika. He stood there for a few seconds and just before he gave up on the battle, Kurapika’s aura flared. Did he say something to him?

                The next match was Hanzo against Pokkle and the former won almost immediately after putting the archer into an arm lock. Hisoka then went against Bodoro. The old man was holding his own but after a swift kick from Hisoka, it was entirely one-sided. The man went down after a few more hits and surrendered. It was her turn now. She had to fight Pokkle. The two stood in the center and the referee began the match. She could tell that he was hesitant to fight her and her eye twitched in irritation. She had barely gotten to fight during the entire exam and she was still relatively irritated after Gittaracktur was basically hiding from her. There was no way this was going to end without one.

                “Pokkle,” she started, “if you don't defend yourself in the next 5 seconds, I'm _going_ to kick you across the room.”

 _‘I may even add some nen to that kick,’_ she thought harshly.

                Siouxsie hummed a tune, each second passing with the beat of it as Pokkle silently panicked about whether to fight or flight. She was certain he knew that even if he quit, he was going to get kicked. It was best to go down with a fight. Time was up, she rushed forward and jumped onto one foot, turning in the air and kicking with her twisted leg. Pokkle blocked her tornado kick at the last moment, being thrown back quite a sizeable distance. She landed softly on her feet and eyed the archer. His aura showed more resolve. There we go. Even though the chances of them both using their weapons was low, Siouxsie had an advantage; she was better as close combat while he was better at long range. If she kept close then he would hopefully have a difficult time fighting back if he wasn’t profecient at hand to hand. And that’s exactly what she did, falling back every once in a while to give him some breathing room. That didn’t stop him from landing a few hits for every few that attack that she gave though. Honestly, she didn’t do a lot of damage, a few punches and kicks was really all that she could land but that didn’t stop her from getting a rush. So much so that she could feel her body start to heat up. If she kept this up her aura would most definitely ignite. Siouxsie and Pokkle rushed towards each other. He threw a punch but she ducked and swiped her feet under him. As soon as he hit the ground she straddled him, grabbed his shirt, and moved to punch his face.

                “I give up! I give up!” he exclaimed, covering his face.

                She let out a breath, relaxing her muscles, and lowered her fist. A shiver ran up her spine, forcing her to her feet at the sudden murderous intent in the air. She turned towards everyone on the sidelines but it was gone almost as soon as she felt it. Pushing it out of her mind, she held out a hand for Pokkle to take.

                “Are you alright?” she asked.

                “Yeah, but you hit hard,” he complained, “I’m gonna feel that for weeks.”

                 As the two started to walk back towards the sidelines, Leorio noticed that Bodoro, his opponent, still didn’t look too good since he had taken quite the beating. The referee glanced at Pokkle since his battle was after the old man’s and asked if he’d be willing to fight again. He didn’t get beat up too badly and decided that yes, he could fight Killua. Thankfully, the Zoldyck walked away as soon as it began, saving him from yet another beating. Maybe he thought that Pokkle just wasn’t worth his time? Since no time had passed really, Killua had to fight Gittaracktur. _No one_ had seen that man fight, except maybe Hisoka since those two were usually together. Killua slowly moved closer to him, reasonably cautious as the man stood, unmoving.

                “It’s been a while Kil.”

                The boy’s aura flared in question before settling in a lowered state of caution. Gittaracktur reached up and started pulling something from his face. Siouxsie quite couldn’t make them out but they seemed as if they could be pins. His aura changed with each pin-like object that was pulled and an awful, contorting sound rang in her ears. The new aura was menacing, frightening she will admit, and Killua’s own filled with intense fear, a small glint of… _something_ around his head. _Big brother_ he called him. His voice was different now… it sounded almost familiar to her, which was odd. Killua _did_ mention that she had ties to the Zoldycks but the boy hadn’t sounded familiar to her. Hisoka sort of did when she heard his name but no one’s voice had struck a chord with her. It was also painfully obvious by now that Gittaracktur was not that man’s name… but what was it?

                “I heard you stabbed Mom and Miluki.” ‘Gittaracktur’ stated to which Killua replied nonchalantly, “Mom couldn’t stop crying. She was just so happy. She was delighted to find that her son had finally grown up.”

                Assassins were weird.

                “She’s concerned about you being out all on your own and she asked me to check up on you when I got the chance. Lucky me, huh? I had absolutely no idea that you wanted to become a hunter. As for me, I’m here to get a license for a job that’s coming up.”

                “I don’t… actually want to become a hunter. I just felt like taking the exam.” His voice was much more in control now that his brother’s aura had calmed considerably.

                “I see. Well that’s a relief,” his aura darkened again, encompassing everyone with a powerful negativity, “In that case I have some advice for you. You’re not cut out to be a hunter.”

                Well that was harsh. ‘Gittaracktur’ told Killua that he was born to be an assassin and that there is nothing he could ever want because he is a puppet of darkness. He said that the only pleasure that he could _ever_ have would be from causing death because that’s how he was raised. Siouxsie nearly shouted, face red in anger. Who did he think he was? Killua could be whatever he wanted!

                “It’s true. I don’t really wanna be a hunter… but everyone wants something, even me.”

                “You don’t.”

                “Wrong! There is something that I really want!”

                His brother hummed, asking the boy to enlighten him. His question stumped him. Killua tried to think of an answer, ‘Gittaracktur’ only egged him on saying that he didn’t actually want anything.

                “There is!” he paused, seeming to have an answer this time, “I… wanna be friends with Gon. I’m sick of killing people… I wanna be friends with Gon… and just have fun.”

                “Impossible. _You_ are incapable of _friendship_ ,” he said it like it was the vilest thing in the planet, “The only thing that you can do is discern whether or not you can kill them. _That_ is all you were ever taught.”

                That may be true but making friends comes natural to children. If he didn’t shut up soon she’d step in and show him what for. But then again, that would disqualify Killua. The boy was conflicted, his aura was swimming with all of these different emotions and the sheer amount of negative energy in the room was starting to overwhelm her. ‘Gittaracktur’ tried to explain that Gon was so different from everyone else that he didn’t know how to classify him; he didn’t actually want to be his friend. One day, he’ll wonder if he can kill him and want to find out because that’s who he is, a murderer. At his words, Killua’s aura shook with both anger and fright. Leorio, who had a considerably shorter temper than she did, had enough of their talk and stepped in.

                “Killua! I couldn’t care less if this guy’s your brother alright?! He’s a worthless piece of crap so don’t listen to him!” he yelled, “Just beat the crap out of him like usual and win! You want to become friends with Gon? Are you kidding me?! You’re already friends! How do you not know that?! Gon seems to think so anyway!”

                Killua was surprised.

                “Seriously? How did you not know?” she asked.

                ‘Gittaracktur’ asked if what they said was true, Leorio confirmed it.

                “Oh no, that isn’t good. So he already considers Kil a friend?” he asked himself, “Fine, then I’ll just kill Gon.”    

                His aura deepened, seemingly pulling everything into it not unlike a black hole. The only thing that kept her from falling deeper into it was Hisoka’s sudden murderous intent. He probably also was won over by Gon and was ‘protective of him’, though given how Hisoka’s been acting, that may not be the exact case.  

                “Assassins have no use for friends, they only get in the way. Where can I find him?”

                Crap he was serious. He turned to leave and Killua wanted to go after him so badly but couldn’t move, the light from his head only brightening at his thoughts. The referee tried to get him to stay but he threw some ‘needles’ at his face. He didn’t die but the disfigurement had to have been painful. Siouxsie’s legs moved on her own and she stood in front of the door out with Hanzo, Kurapika, and Leorio, blocking his exit. He was ready to kill them to get through but his bloodlust dropped almost instantly when he saw her. What was his angle?

                “Oh what a pain. I need to require a hunter’s license right now so I can do my job but if I kill them I’ll fail. And then Kil would pass automatically. _Oh no_ , the same thing will happen if I kill Gon. Hmmm….” he was really trying to hide the fact that he was unwilling to hurt her. She understood that she was close to his family but sheesh. He could’ve just used his needle-things on them to incapacitate them, “Wait, I’ll pass the exam and _then_ kin Gon!” he used his Ren, prettifying Killua to his spot and sending chills up hers.

                Actually, his Ren felt like-

                Siouxsie was roughly pulled from her thoughts when Leorio started yellng again. Everyone was ready to fight. ‘Gittaracktur’ turned his head and asked the chairman if he passed the exam could he kill everyone and still keep his license and Netero hesitantly replied yes.

 _God **damnit** old man_! she thought.

                “Did you hear that Kil? If you really want to save Gon you’re going to have to beat me,” he started to walk back towards Killua, his Ren increasing with each step until it was almost suffocating to someone like her who was sensitive to changes in aura.

                With each step that he took, Killua grew more and more apprehensive and the glow around his head increased in brightness. Whatever was causing it was a product of nen, but he didn’t know how to use it. What was _really_ going on?

                “Will you fight me to save your friend? You can’t do it can you? Because deep down, you’re more worried about whether you can defeat me more than anything else aren’t you? _And_ you already know the answer. I’m not strong enough to beat my big brother.”

                She should have just let Pokkle walk away and then let Killua win! If that had happened then perhaps the poor boy wouldn’t be in this situation.

                “Remember the lesson I drilled into you? Never go up against a superior opponent,” reminded ‘Gittaracktur’ as he reached a hand out.

                Killua’s aura was flaring with uncontrolled fear that increased with each passing second and that weird glow was brighter than ever, blinding even. If he didn’t calm down he would have a panic attack. He tried to step back but…

                “Don’t move,” his tone left no room for disobedience, “Move one more inch and I will assume the fight has begun. The same goes for if our bodies come into contact with each other. The fight starts. There is only one way to stop me and you know it. But don’t forget, if you decide that you won’t fight me, your dear Gon will certainly die.”

                “Take him out Killua!” yelled Leorio, “We’ll protect you! He won’t kill you or Gon! We’ll do whatever we have to do to stop him! Go on, let him have it!”

                Siouxsie gawked at him with wide eyes. This man was powerful. She could barely keep herself conscious with all of this suffocating Ren around her, pulling her deeper like a squid underwater. Killua’s condition wasn’t helping either. If they didn’t stop this, even if she stopped using Echo, she was going to pass out. Killua’s aura suddenly calmed and he admitted defeat. Either his brother did something or he couldn’t find a way out of the situation. He looked empty. Almost as if his aura was compressed into nothing. That glowing had stopped too. Almost instantly ‘Gittaracktur’s Ren dissipated and it felt like her heart was allowed to beat again, rushing all her the blood around, knees buckling at the sudden light-headedness. Kurapika had to catch her to keep her from falling once he noticed how uneasy she was.

                “Oh excellent!” he clapped, “No need for us to fight then huh,” he chuckled, patting Killua on the shoulder, “I lied Kil. I was never going to kill Gon. That was only a test to see what you were made of. And now I know for certain that you are simply not qualified to make friends. Not that you need any. You’ll keep doing what you’ve always done. The job that Dad and I _trained_ you to do. I’ll _order_ you to take the Hunter Exam when the time is right, but not now.”

                ‘Gittaracktur’ walked back to the sidelines. Killua stood there for a moment longer as the referee called the match before also walking back to the sidelines. Siouxsie, Kurapika, and Leorio tried to talk to him but he wouldn’t respond. She slid down the wall onto the floor and held his hand, silently telling him that she was here for him. Siouxsie’s not sure when she passed out but was shaken awake by Kurapika a while later. Bodoro lay dead in the arena, faint traces of aura still lingered. She asked what had happened as he helped her to her feet. He said that Killua had killed him and walked out after he had been disqualified. She didn’t believe him at first but Leorio backed him up, saying that he didn’t believe it either but he saw it with his own eyes. Both suspected foul play.

                Kurapika then changed the subject and asked if she was ok, claiming that she looked a little ill. Siouxsie grimaced. Just that little bit of overstimulation gave her a fever. Not wanting to worry them, she said that she was fine, just sensitive to people’s auras and with their display earlier she felt like she was suffocating. She’s surprised that she even lasted as long as she did.

                She just hoped that Killua was ok.


	10. X – Congratulations x You x Pass

 

                With Bodoro’s body being sent to rest, everyone else was at the orientation, which had quickly turned into a debate. Kurapika and Leorio had advised her to stay with them since she didn’t seem very steady. Pulling Leorio’s suit jacket closer to her body that he had offered when he noticed her shivering, Siouxsie could barely focus on Netero’s speech at the bottom of the room. Too much had happened, too much had been said for her to be able to focus. Killua was a good kid and he _wanted_ to be a good kid and have _normal_ friends. He just wanted to be normal. He was tired of killing people. That’s what he had told her earlier on the airship so it didn’t make sense for him to kill Bodoro to fail. He could have just lost the rest of the battles.

                The door to the back of the room slammed open, nearly startling her out of her reverie. Gon stood there, aura filled with silent rage. Siouxsie doesn’t think that she’s ever seen him like that in the time that they’d been together. The room was deadly quiet as he walked down the stairs until he reached Killua’s brother, whom she found out that his name was Illumi, and stopped. Illumi paid him no mind until he spoke up.

                “Apologize to Killua!” he demanded.

                Ah, so Satotz told him what had happened. The boy was fired up. Illumi asked what he should be apologizing for which only made Gon even more upset.

                “You’re not qualified to be his big brother.”

                “I didn’t know I _had_ to qualify.”

                Gon grabbed the assassin’s arm and flipped him into the air, but he, of course, landed gracefully on his feet. The kid was strong, almost unnaturally strong

                “Friend’s don’t have to either. He gets to choose.”

                Siouxsie heard a crunch and a moment of surprise flashed in Illumi’s aura. Did… did he just break his arm? Gon calmed down a bit and stepped down a step to distance himself.

                “Don’t even bother apologizing. Just take me to see Killua,” the Zoldyck asked what he would so once he got there, “It’s obvious, I’ll bring him back!”

                “From the sound of it, you must think I kidnapped my little brother but he walked out of here out of his own free will.”

                “He left, but not by his own free will. You were manipulating him. That’s the same thing as kidnapping!”

                It was ironic how Gon had hit it dead on the nail but not in the way that he thinks. Siouxsie had been thinking about the glow around Killua and deducted that he was, to some extent, being manipulated. There was a good chance that Illumi was a manipulator given his weapon of choice. However, _how_ he manipulated his brother is another question.

                Netero finally stepped in and tried to break everything up.

                “We were just discussing that very subject. In fact, Kurapika and Leorio have all lodged complaints. The committee has been reviewing the fairness of Killua’s disqualification.”

                Siouxsie had also complained but the old man told her that since she was unconscious and the other two had already spoken up, hers would not count nor would it matter. Kurapika stood from his seat.

                “You saw it yourself! Both during and since his match with the man called ‘Gittaracktur’, Killua behaved strangely.”

_‘That’s called nen buddy.’_

                She would have spoken up but more than half of the people there didn’t even know what that even was. Kurapika went on to say that he, too, thinks that Killua was under some type of hypnosis since for an assassin, murder is commonplace and since he lacks proper ethical restraint, killing someone would be easy. Leorio stood too and thought that the attack happened during his match and it’s possible that Killua was trying to aid him. He added that if anyone should be disqualified then it should be him. Both of them thought that Killua should not have been disqualified. Siouxsie didn’t either but what’s done is done.

                Netero glanced at her to see if she had anything to say but she still didn’t look all that great. Siouxsie was slouched over on the table, head resting on one arm and the other pressed against her head to try and alleviate the headache that was coming on. The old man played the ‘I know exactly what happened but I’m going to play it off and say that it’s completely impossible’ role. Pokkle, for some reason, decided that now would be a great time to bring up when Hisoka spoke to Kurapika and then quit during their match. A fight nearly broke out and Siouxsie was close to standing up and telling everyone to shut the hell up. Hanzo complained that he wanted to go home already and she agreed with him in order to help relieve some of the tension.

                “This is completely pointless!” Gon yelled, still holding onto Illumi for some reason.

                Everyone finally stopped and watched him continue.

                “Why argue about whether or not someone should have passed? If you’re not satisfied that you made it, you can keep working until you are. If Killua wants to retake the Hunter Exam then I know he’ll pass. He didn’t this time and it is what it is. But still, if you’ve been forcing Killua to murder people against his will this whole time, I will never forgive you.”

                “Never forgive me? So, what will you do?”

                “I won’t do anything. But after I go rescue Killua, I’ll never let you see him again!”

                Illumi reached out to touch Gon but he jumped back. She sensed no hostility in his actions but then again, so far Illumi was hard to figure out. Netero cleared his throat to try and get everyone’s attention back.

                “Alright everyone, let’s continue. Gon’s absolutely right. It’s up to each of you to decide if you’re worthy of your license. Now, you’re perfectly welcome to complain about the results as much as you’d like but our minds are made up. Killua has been disqualified from this year’s Hunter Exam while the rest of you have passed.”

                Beans stepped forward and continued with the orientation. Finally. He explained all of the things that their licenses could do. They could enter 90% of countries that limit immigration and 75% of restricted areas of the world. That was exactly what she had wanted hers for but at the same time she wasn’t expecting to meet so many people at the exams. 95% of public facilities were free –sweet –and banks treat Hunters like top-rated companies. You could sell your license for enough money to last 7 lifetimes or keep it for a life of guaranteed comfort. There was a lot more that you could do with that card than she thought. She’d have to figure out a way to make sure that she didn’t lose it since they won’t get a replacement. She didn’t want to be the 1 in 500 that manage to lose theirs. With Beans’ speech done, Netero declared all 8 applicants licensed hunters.

 

                Finally dismissed, Illumi was the first to leave, Gon followed soon after. Kurapika asked if Siouxsie needed assistance getting up but she waved him off. Her fever felt much worse than it actually was due to the chills and how badly her head was pounding. She needed to use Zetsu once she was able and relax. As she walked down, Netero called her over. She told the others to go on ahead and that she’d meet them in the courtyard.

                “I wanted to thank you for not bringing up nen during all of this. I could see it on your face that you so desperately wanted to speak out,” he thanked, “Also, how are you doing? I’ve noticed that you don’t look so well.”

                “I should be fine if I just lay down for a while with Zetsu. But thank you for your concern. And I’m sorry that I never got to show you my Hatsu. I know that you said you wanted to see it.”

                He hooted and stated that he supposed that it just wasn’t meant to be. Siouxsie thanked him for everything that he had done to help her and the other applicants because it if weren’t for him, everyone else would have failed on the second phase. Bidding him farewell, she left to catch up with the others. On her way out, she ran into Hisoka, the sight reminding her of something.

                “I’m sorry but I can’t go with you right away to heaven’s arena,” she apologized, “I’m sure that Gon is going to keep his word and go after Killua and I wanted to go too. I can always come over after.”

                “That’s fine, I was going with or without you anyway **♦**. I’ll just send you the location later.”

                “Thanks,” she smiled. Siouxsie turned to leave but paused, “Also, have you-

                “He left. However, he’ll most likely already be home in the amount of time that it will that it will take you to arrive there _and_ get Killua.”

                “Huh. Alright I’ll see you later then.”

                She turned around and met back up with the three boys who were talking to Pokkle. The archer left just as she walked over but Gon ran over to Satotz.

                “So, are we going after Killua?”

                “You’re coming too?” Leorio asked.

                “Of course!” she exclaimed, kind of upset that he even asked that, “Killua said that I was like a sister to him and I’ve grown to see him as a little brother... again. I can’t just sit there while he’s forced to do something that he can’t stand,” she replied, “ _That_ and Illumi knows something about me. My first duty as a Hunter is to hunt him down.”

                “I see, well, we were told that they lived on Kukuroo Mountain but we have no idea where that is,” Kurapika replied.

                “Kukuroo? It’s in Padokea,” said Siouxsie matter-o-factly.

                “Where the heck is that?” Leorio asked.

                “It’s pretty far from here. I’m just not sure on the exact location. I traveled around a lot but never ventured in that direction,” she informed, “but I’m sure this place has a computer that you can use.”

                It _was_ a hotel after all. Once Gon came back they all went downstairs and into the computer lounge. Kurapika booted one up and searched for Kukuroo Mountain. It would take about 3 days to reach from their location. Gon, as excited as he was, wanted to leave as soon as possible and no one really had a problem with that. As long as she got some rest she didn’t care.

 


	11. XI – We x Are x Kukuroo Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zebro is a treasure

 

                The airship ride was long but Siouxsie would be lying if she said that she didn’t sleep through most of the ride. Gon had even woken her up at some point to make sure that she was still alive. He claimed that he couldn’t sense her presence even though she was right behind him, which is impressive for someone who didn’t know nen but that’s just the power of Zetsu. She felt great after that ~~coma~~ sleep now that she was well rested. Once the airship landed, they got on a train to get closer to the western side of the continent. The train ride was long, going through the mountainous region of Padokea. According to everyone else, the view was pretty amazing but due to the window blocking her nen she couldn’t exactly agree with their observations. They tried to explain it to her, telling her of the height and colors of the area. The boys (mostly Kurapika) were surprisingly descriptive, helping her to envision what it looked like. However… this was yet another moment when Siouxsie wished that she could see.

                Once off the train and in a small town, a person at an information booth told them to take a tour bus if they wanted to get closer to Kukuroo Mountain, so they did. A woman with an annoyingly peppy voice spoke about the area as the bus made its way up. Leorio had passed out somewhere along the way but Siouxsie used the ride as a time to enhance her Echo. There were printed letters on her Hunter’s License and if she made it hyper sensitive and shrank the particle size, she could sort of see letters, though they were still not defined enough to make out much of anything. She had never studied something so hard, not stopping until the tour guide ushered everyone off of the bus.

                A large gate stood before them, dragons coming from either side to meet above the layered door. A smaller door was just to the right followed by what looked like a security booth.

                “This is the front gate of the Zoldyck estate,” said the tour guide, “No one who’s entered has ever returned alive which has earned this gate the nickname ‘The Door to Hades’.”

                The tour guide explained that the Zoldycks own the entire mountain and its surroundings so this was as far as they could go. As Leorio stated, they were standing at their front yard. _Joy_. After two idiots forced their way through the obviously fake door and died, everyone on the tour ran back onto the bus. The tour guide yelled at them to come back but Gon informed her that they were all staying.

                “Siouxsie?” she heard the security guard call, “You’re… alive?”

                Momentarily confused, she forgot about the bond that she supposedly had with the people in this area. The man stood to his feet, aura full of surprise and relief, and gave her a hug. Siouxsie froze. In the back of her mind, she knew that she knew him but right now, he was a stranger.

                “Ah, forgive me,” he apologized, pulling back, “It’s just that it’s been five years since I last saw you. When you had left for that job during Seaquant’s shift, he and I were so distraught when you disappeared. Master Illumi and Young Master Killua were devastated.”

                “Wait,” Kurapika called, “I understand that Killua would be in distress but why Illumi?”

                “The two of them were incredibly close. Sometimes I had wondered if you two were dating!” he laughed.

                Dating? If they were then his behavior _sort of_ made sense but for him to completely avoid her was odd. The guard, who she had learned that his name was Zebro, had quickly figured out that something was off with her and so she kinda had to explain her situation. He sympathized and told her that Illumi actually hadn’t come back yet but according to what Hisoka said, he should be back shortly. Zebro led them inside of the guard station for some tea. Gon told him about why they came as he prepared the beverages.

                “I see,” he spoke, “So you’re Young Master Killua’s friends are you? Happy to hear it. I’ve worked here for the past 20 years and to the best of my recollection, besides Siouxsie, you three are the first friends who have ever came to visit.” He sat down, “Now I probably shouldn’t be telling you this seeing as how I work here, but once Siouxsie disappeared this place got pretty lonely. No one ever really visits. Well except those types,” he points to the trash bin with the idiot’s bones stuffed inside, “We get our fair share of those,” he chuckled, “But a family of assassins is bound to be unusual. Guess that’s the price they have to pay. Ah well, anyways I’m so glad you’re here. Thank you for coming.”

                Siouxsie knew that even though Zebro was thanking them for coming, he was referring to the visit to the gate. Getting inside wouldn’t be very easy and she had a feeling that it had to do with the door. Her suspicions were right. They couldn’t get in, well she could since she was always welcome according to him but the other three were strangers. He explained that the beastly arm that they had saw earlier belonged to the family watchdog, Mike. He attacks anyone who walks through that door. He didn’t want them do be eaten by Mike.

                Kurapika pointed out that if it’s unsafe to go through that door, why was he given a key? How could he get inside? And that’s when it clicked. That’s not the actual door! Zebro congratulated them on their perceptiveness and said that he was half-right. That key and door was for intruders and he was a janitor that cleans up after Mike, not a security guard. Everyone glanced back towards the gate and stepped out of the booth. Leorio swung his arm around like some crazed lunatic as he stretched his muscles, ready to open the door. He pushed with all of his might but nothing happened.

                “I’ve pushed and pulled but it won’t budge!” he exclaimed, sweating, “Are you sure this door isn’t locked?”

                “I’m afraid you’re just not strong enough,” Zebro sighed.

                “Shut up! I was giving it everything I’ve got!”

                “Step back and watch, “ the janitor took off his jacket and shirt and walked towards the gate, “This gate is officially known as the Testing Gate because anyone who’s not strong enough to open it,” he flexed his arms and his body was encircled in Ren, “is considered _unworthy_ of entering the Zoldyck estate.”

                With one push, he opened the door and it closed with a loud slam shortly after. The old man was stronger than he let on. Zebro explained that if you go through the Testing Gates then Mike won’t attack you and then added that the first doors weigh 2 tons each. There were seven doors in total and each set of doors is twice as heavy as the ones before it. The more force you put into it the more doors you open so you’ve gotta be pretty strong to get through all of them. Apparently Killua opened three doors when he came back like it was nothing. That was a lot of weight.

                “Starting to get it now? This is what it takes just to go through the door. I’m certain that right now only Siouxsie could get through the gates.”

                “How many have I opened in the past?” she asked.

                “At first you only managed to open one but before you disappeared you could almost open the third door, which was your goal for the year.”

                “If Siouxsie can get in then why can’t the rest of us?” asked Leorio.

                “Because the three of you are strangers. You need to open the doors yourself. If you can’t do that then you’re trespassing.”

                Gon wasn’t crazy about his answer. He asked Zebro to borrow the key. He didn’t come all of this way to be tested, he came so he could get his friend. He was risking being seen as an intruder. He was going to climb the wall if he had to. Leorio pleaded with him not to do something so stupid. There was no way that he was ever going through that door. Siouxsie tried to talk him out of it, saying that she could just go in instead but he stood firm. He wanted to be the one to rescue Killua, besides, he said, she has her own business to do inside.

                “You’re right but if you think that you can force your way in think again. It’s absolutely impossible,” Zebro tried, “Mike would definitely kill you.”

                Kurapika agreed since they had time to figure out how to use the first door. There was no need to rush. Gon wasn’t convinced though. The janitor sighed. He said that he just couldn’t give them the key _because_ they were friends of Killua and Mike _would_ kill them and excused himself. He walked back to the station and dialed a number on the telephone. After a rather brief phone call he hung up.

                “Yeah, I figured I would get yelled at.”

                “You called up to the house for us?” asked Gon.

                “No. I was speaking with the Zoldyck family butler. All communication with the mansion goes through the butler first. It’s not easy to reach the family members directly.”

                Gon asked if he could call the family butler again because he wanted to talk to him. His call didn’t last nearly as long as Zebro’s even after he called back to yell at him. He hung up the phone and stormed out. This kid was crazy. Siouxsie and Zebro watched as Gon threw his fishing line over the gate and tried to climb it. Kurapika and Lerio tried to calm him down but nothing really worked. Gon was determined to get in, even with a broken arm. Siouxsie sighed and apologized for the boy since he was a very stubborn person as they approached the mayhem. 

                “Here Gon, I’ll give you the key,” he offered, holding out the key, “You can go through the door alright?”

                All of them gawked at the old man as if he was crazy. That was not a good idea.

                “To make amends, I’ve decided to accompany you through the door,” Gon stopped climbing to hear him out, “Mike knows Siouxsie and me enough to recognize us and it’s possible that he may not attack if he knows that we’re with you. Though I’m almost 100% certain that he’ll just kill us all.”

                Gon finally got off the wall, much calmer than before, and declined his offer. He didn’t want to cause any trouble for him.

                “Too late, I’m coming. There’d be trouble even if I stayed. If I sent Young Master Killua’s friends to their deaths I’d never be able to look him in the eye again. And if anything happened to Siouxsie trying to sneak you in then Master Illumi would have my head for sure. If you die, well, then I’ll die alongside you.”

                Gon retracted his fishing line, finally realizing how much pressure that he put on Zebro and apologized. The janitor asked if the boy liked animals. He wanted him to see Mike with his own eyes but first they needed to get inside. Siouxsie did the honors this time, barely opening two gates. If she was able to open three 5 years ago then she was lacking a considerable amount of strength. She needed to train more. Zebro called the watchdog and shortly after, it stepped out and sat down. It was _large_ and its aura was absolutely frightening. It was ready to kill at a moment’s notice. Zebro explained that if he had made it over the wall, _this_ is what he would have met with. A living death trap. There was no way that Gon would have made it out alive or even two feet inside, just like the two guys whose skeletons were in the trash.

                “Well, how long will you be staying here?” Zebro asked.

                “Until we see Killua! We’re not leaving a second before!” Gon exclaimed.

                “Alright then, follow me.”


	12. XII – Training x Does x Suck

 

                Zebro had taken them to the servant’s quarters where they would be staying until they could open the gates. Since Illumi hadn’t returned yet, Siouxsie just decided to stay with them until he did. The group had met Seaquant who seemed less than thrilled to meet Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio and that told the three to just give up now and go home because it was difficult to even get in but nearly broke down in tears when he saw Siouxsie. After a heartfelt speech, Zebro suggested that they train until they could open the testing gates. They agreed and the old man made them put on 50kg vests (Siouxsie had 100kg since 50 felt like nothing) and they were required to wear it basically all of the time. Everything in the cabin weighed at least 20kg so even the house was a test.

                It took about a day for them to get used to the weights and to lift some stuff in the cabin. Kurapika and Leorio thought that they were ready to try and open the door but refused to let Gon help because his arm was still healing. Siouxsie knew that they weren’t ready yet. It was too soon. Naturally, she was right, it wouldn’t budge. ‘Two more days of training!’ they voiced after their failure. Gon would occasionally sneak out to train himself and was always caught by the others if Siouxsie wasn’t outside with him. She was sympathetic and usually offered to keep watch and cover for him if the other two went looking for him. That day while they tried and failed yet again, Seaquant told Siouxsie that Illumi came back earlier in the day.

                “I told him that you were in the servant’s quarters and he said that if you wanted to talk to go to him,” he explained.

                What an ass. When she got up there she was gonna walk up to him and demand that he tell her everything! Leorio yelled in frustration when they still couldn’t open the door. Seaquant, who was warming up to them and being slightly less of a jerk, finally gave them a hint instead of just being a downer. Push simultaneously and with everything you got. Their new hint allowed them to get the door to budge ever so slightly but they were thrown back from the force as it closed. Siouxsie clapped in encouragement, congratulating them on their milestone. After another day of training they tried once again, this time without the vests. They pushed and pushed until it eventually opened just a little bit but it wasn’t enough, they were going to lose it again. She peered over at Gon, worried that they would continue to be set back, but he was gone. He was over with the other two trying to push the door open, and it did! It was only one, but they got inside.

                All of them could finally enter the estate. With their stuff retrieved from the cabin, Zebro told them where to go.

                “Just follow this path to head towards the mountain. The mansion should be up there somewhere. Never been there myself, which is kind of embarrassing considering that I’ve worked here for 20 years. I’m sorry that I can’t be of any more help.”

                Gon reassured them that they were definitely helpful and thanked them. They had been walking for at least an hour when they reached a small stone gate, a child standing in the opening. Her aura was calm but demanded authority. If she remembered correctly, Zebro had warned them about a butler named Canary that may stop them.

                “Please leave now. You’re trespassing on private property,” she commanded, “I can’t allow you to pass without permission.”

                “But we called ahead! And we came through the testing gate!” Gon walked forward.

                “The _Butler’s_ quarters did not give you permission to enter.”

                “They can’t come even though they’re with me?” Siouxsie asked.

                “I’m certain that the janitor told you when you entered that those three are strangers. They are not allowed on the premises,” she explained, “Even if you had invited them over as guests, you do not have the authority to override the Butler’s quarter’s decision.”

                “What the heck do I need to do to get permission?” Gon exclaimed, “I even told them that I was Killua’s friend and everything!”

                He was starting to get angry.

                “Who knows?” the girl asked rhetorically, “No one has ever received permission.”

                “Then I guess we’re gonna have to trespass!”

                “I suppose so. In any case,” she drew a line in the dirt with her cane, “ _This_ is where I draw the line. Take one step past it and I will remove you by force if necessary.”

                Siouxsie tried to reason with Canary but she wouldn’t budge.

                “Siouxsie, you go on ahead!” Gon exclaimed, “We’ll meet you inside!”

                “Are you sure?”

                He nodded his head. She was hesitant to leave them but the look in his eyes said that he had everything under control. Nodding, Siouxsie stepped past the girl, cautious as she walked by in case she was attacked. She didn’t but the sound of something hard hitting flesh had her pause a bit up the path. Whatever just happened must’ve hurt.

                It took a considerable amount of time to reach the mansion but holy cow it was _huge_! Why did they need a house this big? Why did they even need this much _land_?! Entering through the unlocked front door, she was amazed at the interior. Chandeliers hung in the lobby and two large staircases led to the second floor. There were doors under the staircases, large drapes in the massive windows and many other fancy items decorated the area.

                “Siouxsie! You really _were_ coming!” she heard.

                A woman wearing a large dress and hat walked up to her. Her aura was like… a fart, silent but deadly. You did not want to mess with this woman.

                “When Illumi told me to expect you I thought that he must have been jesting because you’ve been dead for – goodness me what happened to your face?”

                The woman reached up and ran her fingers over her scars.

                “Oh… I-uh… ran into some trouble a while back,” she stammered, “That’s why I haven’t come by in a while. I apologize.”

                The woman asked if she could see. She explained that she couldn’t but she used her Hatsu to get around. 

                “Oh! How rude of me! You must have no idea who you’re talking to! I’m Kikyo.”

                Ah, the mother. Zebro had given her a crash course on the Zoldycks and all of the dos and don’ts. There were a lot of don’ts. One of which was not to “talk like a commoner” to the parents, which means to speak eloquently, _especially_ to the mother. He told her that it would be an awful idea to walk in with no idea of who any of them were and given by her aura, he was right. The two managed some type of small talk, Kikyo mostly asking about her strength and how her jobs were going. She even mentioned something about a wedding, thoroughly confusing her but she went along with it. Kikyo suddenly changed the subject and said that if she was here for Illumi then he should be in his room and offered an escort.

                This was it. She was finally going to talk to the one that drove her absolutely insane during the exams.   She wanted to know _everything_ that he knew about her and she wasn’t going to leave until she was satisfied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready to have a face-to-face conversation with Illumi?  
> Just remember that some characters, like Illumi, will act differently depending on how long they've known the main character, so he may seem a little OOC at first


	13. XIII – Learning x Of x Myself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was honestly nervous to post this because of the way that I portray Illumi in this chapter. I know how some people can be when it comes to specific characters. Please don't hurt me. I also apologize for the clunkiness of this chapter.

 

                The butler that had walked her through the rather lavish mansion knocked on a set of double doors. The two waited for permission to open the door and even though it was only a few seconds, Siouxsie felt as if they were waiting for minutes. Receiving the ‘ok’, the butler opened the door wide, allowing Siouxsie to walk in. There he was, the man who probably knew the most about her, standing by the window. His once murderous aura was significantly dampened. Right now he seemed fairly calm… it was almost beautiful how tranquil his aura was. But… there was an underlying sadness to that tranquility. Before she asked any questions, she had to know something first.

                “You were the one that helped me back on Zevil weren’t you?”

                He seemed surprised that she had chosen to ask that first but answered anyway.

                “Yes, that was me.”

                “I don’t understand then. You helped me… why were you avoiding me during the exams?”

                “I needed to make sure that it was actually you and not some doppelganger-

                “What? You don’t trust Killua’s judgment?”

                “It’s not like I don’t, I just needed to see for myself,” he responded, “Once we were about to disembark the airship to Trick Tower, I was convinced that it was you. From there I just needed to get you alone… but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

                Her next question was to ask about Killua but the words that came out of her mouth didn’t match.

                “Why did _that_ -?” she paused.

                What happened when they were on the airship? The only interaction they had at that time was when she had caught him staring at her. Wait…

                “The pins!” she gasped. That aura!

                Illumi nodded.

                “That and the ring around your neck. It’s one of a kind,” he added, “Before you disappeared I had such a bad feeling about the job that you had taken on but you insisted that you’d be fine. You took two of my needles for a back-up weapon to placate me, as if those would do anything, but I had forgotten that you had them until that day,” he explained the first part, “I had been listening to your conversation with Kil before the first phase and I used that information to do some research. I’m assuming that you’re not entirely certain of the incident yourself.” She shook her head, silently telling him to continue, “Around the time of your disappearance some mafia personnel had been killed and the facility that they had been stationed at had been partially destroyed. There were reports of signs of explosions and burn marks all throughout the halls. Though it could have been anyone, I don’t think that there’s anyone in the area who loves to destroy with their nen as much as you. Given your condition, I suspect that they had gave you a dose of Topitiene, a truth serum of sorts that’s known wipe the memory of interrogations after the effects ware off, though knowing the mafia, it may have been Reaper’s Gamble. I suppose that they gave you too much but if that’s the case then I’m surprised that you survived at all.”

                “But why would they want me? Did I do something to piss them off?”

                Illumi walked towards her, stopping when he was a few inches away.

                “Because you,” he placed his hand on her torso “are technically a part of the Phantom Troupe. Your tattoo here is proof of it. I would assume that they were the ones to anger them but the mafia got to you first.”

                Siouxsie was speechless. She was a part of the troupe? It would explain that guy’s freak out in Trick Tower. He must’ve seen part of it when her clothes shifted. But what did he mean by technically? He explained that her tattoo was numberless. She only joined because she knows the leader but chose to go without a number so people thought that she just had a random spider tattoo.

                “W-What else do you know about me?”

                Illumi turned his head, his aura twisting with uneasy sadness. His hand dropped from her body but she caught it in hers before it reached his side. Her plan of demanding everything flew out the window at his hesitance. Siouxsie never noticed how desperate she was to know who she was until that moment.

                “Please don’t leave me in the dark…” her voice dropped to a whisper, “I have to know.”

                The man sighed, seeming to cave. He led her to his bed and sat down, not once relinquishing his hold on her hand.

                “Siouxsie Notlea,” he started.

                She noted that he said Not-lee-ay and not Not-lee. A small detail that honestly meant so much to her.

                “I’m certain that you know about your emission and transmutation nen. Back when we first met you claimed that you had gained the ability to use two types because you trained yourself to exhaustion but one should not have as good of a control on a type opposite to their own. Your techniques almost always used heat. You really liked fire, claimed that the flames were similar to you.”

                “Hot?” she asked.

                “Destructive,” he answered, not what she was expecting, “Of course, Mother would never allow you to use it in the manor so were always forced to spar either without them or far from here. Whenever you would fight with me or anyone else, you would encourage them to not hold back and claimed that if you die, you die, and that kind of sparring was necessary to becoming stronger. What you said back then was true as the fear of death will boost your strength… however...”

                “I sounded rather reckless.”

                “ _Exceedingly_. And you were… _rough around the edges_. But that’s what made you different.”

                Siouxsie paused. She asked if he knew anything about her history. He had to know something since she had known him for years. He once again hesitated to answer but with a deep breath, continued.

                “You are the illegitimate daughter to the head of the Notlea Family Mafia. When you were a few months old your mother had died in an accident and your father left you in the care of a friend of his in Meteor City to avoid attention. You grew up with Chrollo, the leader of the Phantom Troupe, who knew your caretaker, basically joined to the hip but only met Hisoka shortly before you left the city. From what you told me, you had left because your father had gotten in touch with you and it was your only chance to leave that place. Your father was also acquaintances with an uncle of mine and often worked together. Through him you met my cousin Gueka –“ the guy from Silvervale was a Zoldyck?! –“ and he brought you over one day as a guest. I’m fairly certain that you had come by before without him but it’s possible that I was taking jobs at the time and missed you. Both Gueka and your father would bring you over every so often and each time you saw me you had asked to fight. I always refused but eventually you got your way and we did, quite frequently actually. I wasn’t much stronger than you at the time but  you always wanted rematches since I would still beat you. Mother claimed that our battles was a perfect way to hone my skills since Kil had just been born and her attention had been focused on ‘adjusting’ him. Unfortunately, I was _not_ fond of you in the slightest. I found you to be rather annoying. With time, you pried at me; pulling out things that I hadn’t felt or done in… a very long time. If it weren’t for you I may never have kept a human part of me during all of my training. You had gotten me to laugh, to dance… to…”

                “To…?”

                He mulled over his words.

                “Your father was indebted to my family and offered you as a bride to the first born as payment. Mother had us engaged after she watched you hold your own and even manage a few hits on me.” That would explain Kikyo’s spiel about weddings, “At the time, we were too young to marry and my duty was to teach Kil so it was put off until much later. As I said, I _loathed_ you but one day you had come over a few days your father’s funeral. You had been crying and you looked _so_ exhausted. I realized that I never wanted to see you like that again and from there, I slowly grew to love you. I had proposed to you myself once I realized how deep I had fallen with the ring around your neck,” he explained as she reached up to finger said object, “You had requested to keep it a secret until shortly before we were to marry so that no one treated you differently however you went missing long before we had even gotten to plan anything,” he finished.

                That would explain why Zebro thought they were dating and didn’t know the truth. Illumi’s aura turned melancholy as he continued.

                “When you didn’t come back, I called you every day for over a month. It _always_ went to voicemail and I _always_ left a message, pleading for you to be ok,” his voice cracked. Illumi took a second to compose himself, “I searched everywhere for you, or even for a trace of you whenever I was able… of course, I never found any; you had been taken to the other side of the continent. Mother had been asking as to your whereabouts for some time by then but I could only tell her that you were still working on that job for so long. Thankfully, with Kil showing so much promise, finding someone else was the last thing on her mind. I was going to tell you all of this after the exam but a Zoldyck is expected to behave a certain way and if I were to speak with you I wouldn’t be able to do it,” his voice went up in pitch minutely. It was small but to someone as sensitive to sound as she was, it was very noticeable.

                Siouxsie wrapped her arms around the assassin and pulled him into a tight hug. Illumi hesitated to return the gesture but his was much tighter, almost crushing. His aura was radiating a myriad of negative emotions; he really missed her. She raked her fingers through his, surprisingly long, silky locks in an attempt to soothe him.

                “Don’t worry, as you saw I am very much alive,” they stayed like that until his aura evened out, “I will admit though, I was told that I was unconscious for quite some time after I had been found. And the person who helped me to re-control my nen also helped me with my phone so that I could use it… Mars never told me about any missed phone calls or voicemails though…”

                Illumi’s muscles tensed and relaxed almost as soon as it happened. Given that action is typically a bad thing, she asked what was wrong.

                “It’s nothing. There’s no way that your Mars is Marsden Embermantle.”

                She denied his doubt, a tad confused as to why he knew him. His grip tightened around her, his fingers nearly biting into her arms.

                “Marsden is a dangerous man who’s wanted by essentially everyone, even the Zoldycks. I’m surprised that you’re alright if you were with him for so long.”

                Wanted? Illumi warned her to stay away from him but she assured him that he had nothing to worry about since he died not long ago but informed him that if it weren’t for Mars, she would have died.  But to be honest, she wondered what he could have possibly done to piss off so many people. Maybe they weren’t talking about the same Marsden.

                With a silence filling the room, there was just one more thing that Siouxsie wanted to ask. She hoped that it didn’t sound weird.

                “Since… um… since we’re engaged… I’d love to be able to know what you look like,” she started, playing with her ring, “So-uh would you mind if I… felt your face?”

                Illumi tilted his head in confusion, silently asking what the connection was.

                “Back when I was traveling around, I wanted to be able to visualize the people that I’m frequently around and I came up with this. It’s weird, I know, but it works.”

                She had done it to Killua and the others back on the airship. It had worked every single time. The man agreed to her slightly odd request and she let out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding. Instructing him to use Zetsu, Siouxsie reached her hands up and gently touched the assassin’s cheeks. Her fingers glided over his skin, marking every dip and contour of his face onto his aura all the while asking questions about his physical traits; whether or not his hair, skin and eyes were light or dark as well as distinctive features. By the time that she reached his hairline, she could basically see Illumi for what he was. He was… very handsome. She could see, at least appearance wise, why she may have fallen in love with him. Siouxsie’s thumb absentmindedly brushed against Illumi’s cheek one she had finished, seemingly in a trance. Without much thought, the two started to gravitate towards each other. They didn’t get too close though. A knock on the door startled her away, the assassin barely flinched. The head butler was requesting her, they were sent to bring her to him.

                “The others must have made it in… so I guess… I gotta go. I don’t wanna leave just yet but I promised someone that I would meet them at Heaven’s Arena,” she voiced lowly before perking up, “Plus Zebro told me that I could almost open 3 doors! _Three!_ I could barely open two the other day! If I could hold my own against you with that strength then right now you’d beat me to the ground! Once I can fight you without the risk of dying, I’ll come back, I promise. Until then… I’d love to get to know you again. We’ll keep in touch, I promise!”

                She had the same phone as she did back then so she was certain that she had his number and didn’t need to ask for it. Siouxsie gave him a quick peck to the cheek before getting up to walk towards the door. She was jerked back towards the standing muscular assassin, hand on the small of her back, before she was brought into a short kiss. It was rough in contrast to the gentle grip of his hands but oh did this feel right, lighting a familiar fire that burned throughout her body.

                “Mother won’t want you to leave once you get back so do what you need to do,” he spoke softly as he placed something between them; a cute stuffed bunny was sticking out of a backpack, poor thing had seen better days, “I had a feeling that you would leave again so I packed some stuff for you. And I’m sure you’ve been having a hard time sleeping without him.”

 _Oh_ maybe _that_ was the reason why she always woke up cuddling a pillow. And if she wasn’t completely exhausted, which thankfully she had been recently, then it would take her _forever_ to fall asleep. Sometimes she’d lay in bed until dawn and just give up. Her sleep schedule was an absolute mess before she left for the Hunter Exams.

                “I have… thank you,” she smiled.

                With one final goodbye, the butler escorted Siouxsie to the Butler’s quarters where she reunited with the group and Killua, who had his father’s permission this time to leave. The boy couldn’t wait to give her a hug. Killua _really_ _loved_ her hugs, claiming that they were more loving than his mother’s. He noticed something sticking out of her backpack.

                “It’s Mr. Numen!” he exclaimed excitedly.

                “Mr. Numen?” she repeated.

                The bunny?

                “You used to let me play with him but when you didn’t come back, big brother would never let me touch him,” pouted Killua, “Seriously what’s his deal?”

                Oh if only he knew. The boy sighed before suggesting that they leave before his mother finds and chews them out. The boys grabbed their belongings as Killua told the family butler, Gotou, not to follow him under any circumstances. They all turned to leave except Gon and Siouxsie, who stopped to talk to the butlers. After Gon asked if he was going to miss Killua, she spoke up.

                “Mr. Gotou, I’m certain that you noticed by now that something is amiss with my behavior.”

                “Indeed I have,” he replied, “Are you alright?”

                “Oh yes, I’m fine. It’s just that I no longer remember anything from before I went missing. I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell the others about this. Only Killua and Illumi know of my circumstances but this time, I _will_ perform the role that Madam Kikyo has given me. So there’s no need to worry.”

                “I swear that I will not utter a word about this Lady Siouxsie. And it is nice to have you back.”

                “Thank you. Unfortunately, my strength is lacking considerably and I’m certain that I can no longer hold my own against Illumi. I’m going to get stronger before I return permanently. If the Madam asks as to my whereabouts, you can tell her that.”

                “Will do. Good luck on your endeavors.”

                Siouxsie smiled, thanking him once more before leaving with Gon to meet up with the others. It took some time to make it out and say goodbye to Zebro and they had passed the time by asking what she had found out from Killua’s brother. Most of the information wasn’t exactly something that she could share so she just told them about herself and the people connected to her.

                It was going to be a long way back.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is a bit clunky with WAY to much info here, but what did you think about my "emotional" version of him? I tried to imagine how he would behave if someone kept him "sane" during his training as a child. Would he have kept some of his emotions instead of being a blank slate? I'd like to think so. And the man is already fairly talkative as it is....  
> How would you have handled this? I'd love to hear from you. And who knows, maybe when I go back and revise I'll add in your ideas.


	14. XIV – Let’s Go x To x Heaven’s Arena

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Illumi's gone for now but he'll be back soon. Siouxsie is determined to become stronger before she goes back to the manor!

 

 

                Back on the train, this time leaving the Dentora Region, Siouxsie listened as Gon talked about punching Hisoka in his ‘stupid, ugly face’ and she had to stifle a laugh. It was ironic how she was on her way to his very location. Killua asked where Hisoka was and she was tempted to say where but Kurapika spoke up first. She _would_ tell the boys where he was but none of them knew nen. Confronting him without that ability was a one-way ticket to meet death. She’d just let Kurapika tell them what he knew. According to him, Hisoka would be in Yorknew City on September first, half a year away and during the Southernpiece Auction. He said that most likely, the Phantom Troupe would be on the move. Siouxsie remembered the deep grudge that the Kurta has for the Troupe and swallowed. She wasn’t present during the massacre of his clan but she was still worried what he would do if he ever found out the truth.

                Off of the train and back in town, Kurapika and Leorio had decided to split from the group. Kurapika wanted a job so that he could have money to attend the auction and Leorio wanted to start studying for medical school. This, unfortunately, was also where she left.

                “What? You can’t go SiouSiou!” Killua begged.

                She let out a small breath and crouched down.

                “I’m sorry but I promised someone that I would meet them somewhere,” she cooed, running her hand through his hair, “I still owe the two of you dinner so don’t worry, I’ll see you soon.”

                If the world’s largest auction was happening in Yorknew and Hisoka was going to be there, then she was going with him to find the Phantom Troupe. If what Illumi told her was true then she really wanted to meet the leader. It wasn’t right to deprive someone of the knowledge that a loved one is ok just because their morals aren’t exactly the social norm. Not only that but if Kurapika was going to be there too then she needed to keep everyone safe and away from each other since a war was likely to ensue.

                Everyone said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. According to Hisoka, she needed to take an airship to the eastern part of the continent. After letting Gueka know that she wouldn’t be able to come over for a while, Siouxsie sat in the terminal for her ship to be called in silence. She had to admit, it was rather lonely without the guys around. The airship would have her there in a few hours. After that she would be with-

                “Gotcha!”

                Siouxsie let out a high pitched squeal as someone grabbed her shoulders. The culprit snickered. Wait a second…

                “Killua?”

                “Surprise! It’s me! And Gon too!”

                What were they doing there? Though, it’s not like the boys had anything to do since everybody suddenly decided to split up.

                “We’re heading to Heaven’s Arena! Killua said that you can make a lot of money there!” exclaimed the hyperactive boy.

                What were the chances…? Siouxsie smiled and welcomed them to the cross-continental journey. They all sat together on the airship and when it had arrived at its destination it had passed within a close enough proximity to the arena so that the boys could see. The glass prevented her from seeing the view but as Gon announced, it was huge; more akin to a tower than an arena. Killua reported that it was 251 stories and 991m tall, making it the world’s 4th tallest building. Only the 4th though?

                “That reminds me SiouSiou, who are you meeting here?” asked the assassin.

                “Um…,” she sighed. She couldn’t lie to him, he’d see her bluff, “I’m meeting Hisoka.”

                The boys jumped at her confession.

                “He’s here?!” Gon exclaimed, “Why didn’t you say anything on the train?”

                “Because Kurapika spoke first and I honestly don’t think that you’re strong enough to face him one-on-one. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

                The boys still didn’t know nen. Until they did, she wanted to keep them as far away from him as possible.

                “But you can fight him on one condition,” she added, “The exam isn’t over. There’s still one more thing that you need to do. I won’t tell you what it is but if you do it then I’ll give you permission to fight him.”

                Gon pouted and mumbled ‘what are you my mom?’ Killua grinned, telling him that she almost could be or even his older sister.

                “But you’re about the same age as Kurapika right?” asked the boy.

                “No,” she chuckled, “I’m 23.”

                “But you look so young!”

                “It’s not like I’m old! Sheesh!”

               

                The airship docked and everyone disembarked, Killua leading the way to Heaven’s Arena since he’s been there before. Siouxsie had managed to hang back and text Hisoka that the boys were with her for their own benefit and that they knew he was there. She also warned him not to antagonize them until they learned nen. He replied relatively quickly.

                _‘In that case why don’t you stick with them through the preliminaries? Once you get your starting floor you are more than welcome to visit me in 2235.’_

                He’s already on the 200th floor?! That man worked fast. Then again, he was freakishly strong. The three stood in a long line of people which she guessed was for the preliminary sign-up. Killua explained as they waited that the arena is so popular because the higher you go the more prize money you make, and people will do anything for money.

                “Welcome to Heaven’s Arena,” greeted an informant as she handed the three papers, “Now if you wouldn’t mind filling out this form.”

                “Do you need any help SiouSiou?” Killua asked.

                Thankfully not. All of those long rides had given her the opportunity to practice reading. It wasn’t the best yet and she could barely even make out words but she got the gist of everything and was able to fill out the form. She was suddenly thankful for all of the grueling hours that Mars made her practice writing. The informant put their information into a computer and turned back to them.

                “Killua Zoldyck, you’re number 2054. Gon Freecss, you’re 2055. Siouxsie Notlea, you’re 2056. On the first arena floor they’ll be calling you by your number. So try not to forget it. Please go on ahead.”

                Holding back a grimace when the woman mispronounced her name, they were directed down the hall. The sound of people cheering grew increasingly loud as they walked down a hallway and into the arena, though it was more like _arenas_. Stands lined the circumference of the room and 16 small rings were in the center. It was hard to make out but each ring had a letter from A to P. They sat in the bleachers, waiting for their numbers to be called. A surprising amount of people down there actually knew nen. She was right to tell the boys to learn ‘it’. There was a good chance that the upper floors were full of nen users and they wouldn’t last a second up there.

                Gon’s number was called to ring E. Siouxsie and Killua knew that he’d be fine but wished him luck anyway. Unfortunately, Gon took Killua’s ‘push hard’ encouragement literally and pushed his opponent so hard that he flew out of the ring. He started at floor 50. Killua brought his opponent down with a chop to the neck and was supposed to go to the 180th floor but turned it down in favor of the 50th with Gon. Siouxsie’s match was during Killua’s. The guy that she was fighting was bragging about how _strong_ he was and how he was going to ‘take it easy’ because he was fighting a girl. Suffice to say that she didn’t take that too well and jump-kicked him in the chin –she’s short dangit! The man fell backwards and out of the ring quite a ways away.   

                “Sorry not sorry!” she called at the now unconscious man.

                The referee whistled.

                “That was some kick. You can proceed to the 50th floor.”

                As he handed her a receipt, people started to cheer for a young boy about Killua’s age who had just won his match. The kid knew nen, and it was so well-controlled. He must still be in training. Maybe whoever was teaching him could teach the boys? Of course, she’d have to leave that to them to figure out, if they ever did. On her way out of the stadium with Gon and Killua and in an elevator (with that nen boy, she overheard his name being called, was it Sushi?), a woman explained the way the tower works.

                “The first 200 floors of Heaven’s Arena are divided into classes 10 floors each. Which means that a fighter who wins on the 50th floor advances to the 60th. Lose and they automatically drop down to the 40th floor.”

                “I heard once you get all of the way to the 100th floor they give you your very own room!” added ‘Sushi’.

                The boys gazed behind them as he introduced himself as Zushi –so close! –just as they were let out of the elevator. Killua explained that you could easily make a _ton_ on Jenny there. He had made about 200 million 4 years ago when he made it to the 200 th floor but spent it all on candy. That’s… a _lot_ of money and a _lot_ of candy. He then suggested that they go to the waiting room since they were most likely going to have another match today. All of the people inside looked tough even though only a few of them knew nen. Maybe they’d actually put up a fight?

 


	15. XV – Day x In x Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the length of this chapter. I just couldn't make it any longer.

 

                No. They had all won the exact same way as they did on floor 1; a push, a chop, and a kick. The only one who had a bit of an issue was Killua whose match was against Zushi. Siouxsie had felt the inklings of Ren from the waiting room at the time but thought nothing of it. Killua couldn’t put his finger on it but heard Zushi’s master call it Ren. At that point the boys were freely speaking with Zushi and they were one step closer to learning nen. That was her cue to leave. If she stayed, she’d end up giving them hints.

                Finally reaching the 200th floor –she got a little lost along the way –she was nearly forced back downstairs. Her prediction had been right, this floor was full of nen users. The intensity of intent to kill would stop you in your tracts if you didn’t at _least_ know Ten. This was _nothing_ like the lower levels. People could actually die here.

                Siouxsie made her way to room 2235, the room that Hisoka said to go to, and knocked on the door. It opened shortly after and the man himself stood in the doorway.

                “Welcome to Heaven’s Arena,” he let her in, “Judging by the look on your face I’m assuming that you enjoy it here ♣?”

                She didn’t bother asking for permission and plopped down face first onto his bed. Hisoka took the chair at the small table.

                “Yeah it’s great! I’ve already won 60,000 Jenny from just one fight on the 50th floor! I’m glad that you invited me here!” she smiled.

                “I’m not surprised considering that, like me, you live for the fight **♥**.”

                He offered some tea that he had recently finished brewing. Tea sounded great… but food sounded even better. She hadn’t eaten much today. Her stomach growled at the thought. Hisoka chuckled and suggested that they get some dinner instead.

                They ended up getting some street food and at her insistence, some clothes shopping. Her most recent set of clothes had gathered quite a few rips that she managed to sew together and the soles of her shoes were worn out and full of holes. It was time for some new garb. With Hisoka’s help she managed to pick out a decent outfit. A multilayered, scoop neck crop top with one long sleeve and a mini-corset, some shorts and a pair of thigh high socks, one leg with some holes in it. She wasn’t sure of the colors but he assured her that it “looked good” and that it was low enough to hide her spider. She topped it all off with a pair of riding boots.

                On their way back to the arena, the two of them were talking about how strong the opponents are on the 200th floor. According to him the opponents that he fought (when he actually showed up to his matches) weren’t too much of a problem. He basically said ‘I’m freakishly strong so I beat them up but you may have a bad time’. With her current strengths and weaknesses, fighting in the arena would only get her so far before her progress stalled. Siouxsie thought about her situation. Oh! An idea! She opened her mouth to say something but the sight of a small shop caught her attention.

                “Ice cream!” she exclaimed, “Let’s get some.”

                “You’re lactose intolerant **♠** ,” he stated, a slight questioning tone to his voice.

                “ _Ooooh_ … that… would explain a lot.”

                “You mean to say that you never noticed?”

                “Nope. Eating something with dairy was a bit of a luxury while I was travelling but when I was able to I usually felt fine. But if I think about it, I _did_ always felt sick about a day or two after.”

                Hisoka stared at her as if she was the stupidest person ever and leaned forward.

                “Did the accident cause you to lose functionality of your brain **♦**?”

                “Shut up!” she pouted.

                The promise of a sweet dairy treat was forgotten at this point and the two continued walking. Remembering what she wanted to talk about before she was distracted, Siouxsie walked in front of Hisoka and stopped.

                “Train me!” she demanded, “I need to get stronger.”

                He seemed a bit stumped at her sudden demand but smirked and put a hand on his hip.

                “And what would be in it for me **♥**?”

                She paused, gently grasping her chin in contemplation.

                “Maybe… hmmmm… how about a fight?” his aura darkened at her suggestion, bingo, “When you think that I’m ready I’ll fight you! Just not to the death.”

                “Aww that’s no fun **♠** , but I accept.”

                Siouxsie cheered, giving the man a hug out of excitement. This was going to be great! Once back at the arena she wished Hisoka a goodnight and left the man to go search for the boys. They should have already picked a room. She located them fairly quickly but stood outside of the room for a moment, phone in hand.

                “Floris,” she called, receiving the tell-tale vibration, “text Illumi.”

                **“What is your message?”**

                Siouxsie was dead-set on keeping her promise about staying in touch with him. She wasn’t exactly sure what to say so she told him about what happened today, excited about the premise of being trained again. It had been so long since she had gotten a proper work out. She hoped that she didn’t regret her decision.

                Her phone read her the message for confirmation, laughing when Hisoka’s name wasn’t recognized and written as ‘he sucker’, and sent it as is. Walking into the room, Siouxsie talked to Killua and Gon for a little bit before calling it a night and laying down and falling asleep holding Mr. Numen.

 

 


	16. XVI – Let’s x Learn x Nen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Siouxsie hates herself for her request to Hisoka

 

                Siouxsie learned _very_ quickly that asking Hisoka to train her was both a great and a horrible idea. She was immediately put on a sleep schedule that forbade napping, a strict diet that severely limited her calorie intake, and made her practice Ren (Hatsu if they were outside) every day after her matches. He claimed that if she could regulate herself while basically running on empty then it would be easier to control her output when she was at normal capacity. It made sense but she still felt like she was dying. And god forbid that she was ever late. The one time that she was he worked her until she couldn’t stand anymore and then added an extra 2 hours to training for the rest of the week. Illumi had warned her when she had first told him about the deal and she brushed it off because, well… what was the worst that could happen? The constant feeling of death. _That_ was the worst that could happen. She’s wished that she had heeded that warning. She can’t eat or sleep like she used to until she learned proper output control. Once she did then they could move on to other types of training.

                When Siouxsie, Gon, and Killua were almost to the 200th floor but still hadn’t learned nen, Siouxsie knew that she had to step in. Even though Killua had made it to the 200th in the past, he had never actually stepped foot upstairs and so they didn’t know the dangers. She had to ask Hisoka for a favor and tell them that they weren’t ready to fight on the 200th floor. He didn’t agree at first but when she told him that she had banned either of them from fighting him until they learned nen, he wasn’t very happy and reluctantly agreed. When she checked up on him later in the day, Hisoka was sitting in the hallway throwing cards into the ceiling. Wang had finally agreed to teach them nen and they would be back by midnight. The boys were amazing when it came to fighting. She had no doubts that they would learn Ten at the least by then.

                When the time came, they walked right though Hisoka’s Ren as if it was nothing. She waited until after they had registered to come out and congratulate them.

                “I’m so proud of you guys for learning Ten so quickly!” she exclaimed, basically suffocating them with a hug.

                “So nen was the thing that we needed to learn right?” Killua asked.

                “Yep. That’s why when Zushi came along, I tried to stay away from you guys so you could figure it out on your own. He knows nen and it was only a matter of time before Wang caved and taught you guys. Thought he would have offered sooner though.” She nodded, “You still have a long ways to go though. You don’t even know what type you are yet.”

                “Type?” Gon repeated.

                “We can talk about that once Wang goes over it with you guys since I’m pretty sure that he’ll explain it much better than I can.”

                “Is nen how you’re able to see SiouSiou?”

                “Bingo. As I mentioned with types, one of my abilities is to have my aura mimic something else and I disperse it over a large radius in minute amounts. Then I use a different technique so that I can see my aura.”

                “That’s so cool!” they exclaimed and then immediately asked if I could teach them.

                “What did I just say? You don’t know your types yet! If you don’t have the right one then you can’t do it! Or at least not well enough for it to be useful. Besides, I can only see a bit of light and my nen is bright in my otherwise dark world. Unless you were blind like me, I’m pretty sure that learning a technique like that would be pointless.”

                The boys groaned, but otherwise understood what she was talking about. Learning nen was a process but if you want to be successful, it’s a skill that you will need.

 

                Gon’s first match on the 200th floor could have been better. At one point he was doing ok but in the end, his arm was basically shattered and he lost. Siouxsie was planning to berate him for being reckless at the first chance that she got but Killua and Wang beat her to it. As punishment from Wang, Gon was put on bed rest and not allowed to practice nen for two months. Killua probably wouldn’t continue to learn until Gon could. It would put a damper on their progress but it will give them a lot of time to perfect their Ten.

                With the boys out of commission, Siouxsie was able to focus on her training a lot better. Hisoka had put more energy into their sparring matches ever since they watched Gon’s battle. With just one match under her belt on the upper floor, she had finally figured out how to regulate her output and not burn through her entire energy store in one fight. She was even able to set her Ren on fire without having to wait for her aura to heat up. Her emission Hatsu was decent, definitely not strong enough to cause severe damage but it was close.

                “I think that we should try something different today ♣,” Hisoka suggested.

                As of late they had been working on nen techniques. She was pretty good with most of them but her Ko was never at full power because some of her aura was still around her body and her Ryu was god-awful. Those exercises always left her with nasty bruises if she wasn’t 100% focused. The guy was freakishly strong so even if he wasn’t trying to hurt her he always did.

                “Ok then. What do you have in mind?”

                “Your emission needs work. That may be because you are relying solely on your nen ♣,” he explained, “While that may not be a bad thing, I believe that it’s important to have a basic knowledge of your adjacent types.”

                “So enhancement, manipulation, and conjuration right?”

                “Exactly. Though don’t be discouraged if you can’t use any of them. This is just a test ♥,” he picked up a rock and walked over to a small boulder, “Watch carefully.”

                His aura shrouded around the rock just before he smashed it against the boulder. The boulder cracked and crumbled into dust. Hisoka explained that he used a combination of Shu and Ryu to increase the strength and defense of the rock, allowing it to destroy the boulder without breaking itself. If she learned how to do that, it would strengthen her understanding of enhancement. She could also start trying to conjure or manipulate. He honestly didn’t care which one that she did first. Enhancement would be the best pair to her emission but first she wanted to try conjuring since they would need to be near something with a similar viscosity to water to manipulate. It shouldn’t be too hard to conjure something like her ring right?

 

                “Do try harder **♦**.”

                Siouxsie sighed, resisting the urge to snap at the man. It’s been a couple of hours since she had tried to conjure her engagement ring. She figured that since she knew touched the ring more than anything else on a daily basis that conjuring it should be a breeze, but… even after taking the necklace off and staring at it… it would seem that having that ability was starting to look bleak. She flopped back on the grass, resting her body. Who knew that type training would take so much out of you?

                “Done already?” Hisoka asked, playing with his deck of cards.

                “Yeah. I don’t think that I can use conjuration.”

                “I’m not expecting you to be able to use it with just one session but I suppose that you can give enhancement a try for the rest of our time out here,” he spoke, looking at a card in his hand, “You can practice manipulation when we head back ♣.“

                Enhancement huh? Siouxsie glanced to the side and picked up some rocks to make a small pile. She didn’t bother standing, using the ground to hold one of the rocks in place while she held the other. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated on the task. First was Shu; envelope the rock as if it was a part of your body and then use Ryu to increase the offensive power of it. She paused. But what about defensive? Surely the rock would shatter from the force. Keeping Shu in place, she thought about the dilemma. Maybe she had to switch between offense and defense immediately after impact?

                During her first try, she shattered both rocks. She was too late on the switch. On the second try the rock in her hand didn’t break but it gained a few cracks. Siouxsie held back an excited gasp as her eyes widened in excitement. It was flawed but she had managed to keep the rock whole! Hisoka smirked, ruining her fun by telling her to smash as many as she can before they head back for the day. If he likes the amount then he’ll let her have dessert after dinner. With the promise of dessert, Siouxsie put all of her focus into her training.

                 When they returned to the arena for the night, Hisoka had Siouxsie try out manipulation in her bath tub to get a feel for it. Her hand rested in the water as she concentrated on getting the liquid to at _least_ sway. Her aura flowed out of her palm and fingers in tendrils, trying to grasp the liquid. Hisoka was keeping a close eye on her progress since if she managed to do anything then the water would move very slightly. They had been in there for some time and the man’s rear was growing sore from the abrasive toilet seat. Siouxsie was startled when he called her name. The water splashed up from her aura’s spasm and soaked the front of her clothes.

                “Ah man,” she groaned.

                But at least she was able to get the water to move. Something like manipulation would definitely take time to learn but if she practiced enough, she may have _some_ use for it. Hisoka smirked at her determination and sat down in one of her chairs outside of the bathroom. She was slowly morphing into someone that was worth fighting and he was itching to rush her.

                But you can’t rush perfection.

               

 

                Not long after she managed to have a better grasp of her nen capabilities, she watched Hisoka’s match against Kastro in the arena with Killua using Gon’s ticket. The boy’s arm had healed in just a single month instead of 4 but Wang still forbid him from watching the fight. Given the hyper-active boy’s speedy recovery, Siouxsie had no doubts at all that he was an enhancer. Even if he _could_ use echo, Gon was going to be so disappointed to learn that he can’t use it unless he learned emission _and_ transmutation. Siouxsie had learned a lot watching Hisoka fight Kastro, mostly that he was crazy (even more than before) for allowing the man to cut his arms off. But she also learned that you need to use your nen to your advantage be it defensive, offensive, or flamboyantly distracting. Even though she learned a lot, Siouxsie had a feeling that Hisoka losing his arms would only be bad news for her.

                Of _course_ it was. He wanted to continue her training but he was advised against doing anything too strenuous until his arms healed. Instead of sparring or learning new moves, he had her either at full Ren for increasing increments each day or practicing nen techniques. Some days he had her retain some of them simultaneously, increasing the strain on her body. She was off of her strict diet but it still took a lot out of her. Killua and Gon had barged into her room one day while she was sneaking in an afternoon nap to tell her their nen types. Needless to say that they were kicked out and nearly burned.

                The boys tried again when she was actually awake. She wasn’t surprised when Gon told her that he was an enhancer but wasn’t expecting Killua to be a transmuter like Hisoka. The Zoldyck told her that from what Wang had explained about nen types, he thinks that she’s a transmuter too but it doesn’t quite add up.

                “You’re spot on,” she confirmed, “That’s because I’m a transmuter _and_ an emitter.”

                “But Mr. Wang said that everyone was born with _one_ type!” Gon defended.

                “Hey, I don’t know either kid. According to Killua’s brother even back when I was younger I had the ability to use two but never really had a reason as to why. I had claimed that it was because of training but even _that_ doesn’t seem logical.”

                Killua suggested that she talk to Wang since he was pretty smart when it came to nen, but as tempting as that was, she re-learned nen under her own ‘master’ and he was just as stumped as she was. She didn’t want to waste time looking for a label when she could be training. 

                “Oh right, speaking of training,” Gon started, “My match with Hisoka is June 10th!”

                “That’s great! Make sure you kick his clown-behind!” Siouxsie joked, “But I get the feeling that my work load is only going to increase as that date comes up. I’ll try to make it if I’m not dead by then.”

 


	17. XVII – Finally! x A x Day Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back? Back again? He is back. Tell a friend.
> 
>  
> 
> Where even on her day off Siouxsie can't help it

 

                Siouxsie wished that she hadn’t joked around last month about the difficulty of her training. Siouxsie also wished that Hisoka wasn’t an asshole who took his excitement out on other people. She had been pushed to the limit for the entirety of the week and it certainly didn’t help that she had a match just before his. Her only saving grace was her nightly chats with Illumi. Be it through text or call he always managed to encourage her to not give up and see it through. They both knew that in the end, what mattered was whether or not she could hold her own in a fight against her fiancé. The night of her next match she had won by the skin of her teeth. Her opponent was ridiculously strong and highly skilled but they had the tiniest opening in their guard that took her forever to take advantage of. After her victory, she was cognizant enough to change into something more comfortable and passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow.

 

                Siouxsie’s eyes opened to blinding sunlight the next day, looking towards her alarm clock out of habit. She had put just a little bit of her nen in the light bulbs so that when they lit up she knew when it was time to train. Her face scrunched in horror as she propped herself onto her elbow to look at the clock better. No way…

                “I missed Gon’s match!” she exclaimed.

                She grabbed the alarm clock in disbelief.

                “Even worse, I’m late for training-

                “No you’re not.”

                Body immediately in a panic from the extra voice, Siouxsie tried to jump out of bed her legs were tangled in the blanket and she face-planted onto the floor. A head popped over the edge and asked if she was ok. Wait… she recognized that voice.

                “Dammit Illumi! What the actual hell!” she exclaimed as she rubbed at her face.

                “Good afternoon to you too.”

                Removing her feet from the mess that is the blanket, Siouxsie finally managed to stand up. She was going to ask how he got in but he probably just picked the lock. The feeling of dread resurfaced once she remembered her original panic.

                “Oh man! Hisoka’s going to _kill_ me!”

                Running over to her backpack, she started to pull out random articles of clothing to put on. She felt gross but there was no time for a shower and she never had the chance to wash her clothes so all of the things she _could_ wear was dirty. Great.

                “You’ll be fine,” he tried to tell her.

                “I don’t think that I can handle even more intensive training! I may actually-

                “Siouxsie,” she stopped midsentence upon hearing her name, “You don’t have any training today.”

                Illumi informed her that his visit had been planned for a while since he needed to pass through for an upcoming job. She had been worked extra hard to make up for the lost day. That made sense. Well in that case… she could take a shower. She was all sticky from yesterday. Clean and out of the waterfall of water, she realized that she left her clothes on the floor from her panic and cursed. Wrapping a towel around her figure, she peeked out of the bathroom. Illumi was sitting in a chair, looking out the window. Her clothes were by the nightstand but she’d have to pass him to even reach it. She’s walk over but the towel was much too short to reach around her entire body.

                “I’ve already seen you naked,” he said bluntly.

                “What?” her face flushed, “H-Have we…?”

                “No,” Illumi answered flatly, “The Zoldycks have a strong family code, abstinence before marriage is one of them, though we’ve nearly broken it multiple times. You just didn’t care who you changed in front of. You had no sense of modesty whatsoever.”

                Oh. With all of the things that he’s told her about her old habits, she sounded like an ill-mannered jerk. It’s no wonder why he hated her at first. Siouxsie observed the mess on the floor and decided what to wear. This would be a great opportunity to wear the sundress that she bought a while ago.

                Dressed with a pair of sandals and a floppy wicker sunhat (Siouxsie learned very quickly that her facial scar burns extremely easy), she grabbed her fiancé’s hand.

                “Let’s go!” she smiled.

                “Go where?”

                “I’m hungry, come on!”

                All of the monitors on the lower floors were talking about Gon and Hisoka’s match. Gon had been doing well, even managing to punch Hisoka and give him his tag back, but the referee was giving the man bullshit points in order to end the match sooner. Hisoka won by TKO. Siouxsie sighed. She knew that winning that way would put him in a bad mood and bad mood means he’ll push her harder. She only hoped that he’ll blow off some steam on his own to be calmer by tomorrow.

                With her diet over, Siouxsie had free range of any place in the area for lunch. Though, even if she was still on it she would still eat whatever she wanted. It was her day off dammit! There was a cat café on the outskirts of the town that she had never gotten the chance to go to. Today was the perfect opportunity since Illumi didn’t care where they went.

                “Hello! Welcome to Nine Lives!” greeted a man walking by with a tray, “Please remove your shoes before entering!”

                “I have to remove my shoes?” her companion complained to no one in particular.

                “Come on it’ll be fun!”

                One of the employees explained that they could sit wherever and order from the menu at the table. The only rules were to not pick up the cats, don’t feed them, inside voices, and no flash photography. Siouxsie eagerly grabbed Illumi’s hand and dragged him into the next room. There were so many cats! Maybe about 10 of them. She was in heaven. They picked a small, round table by the center of the room along the wall and ordered a plate of finger sandwiches and some coffee. The cats for some reason were unusually attracted to Illumi. They were either close to or on him during their entire conversation but he didn’t really seem to mind. One of them was even on his head.

                “I didn’t take you to be the type to enjoy the presence of cats like that,” Siouxsie observed, leaning on her hands.

                “Most people think that but I do enjoy their company,” he replied, scratching a cat under the chin.

                “I’ve heard of a chick-magnet but cat magnet is a new one!” chuckled a server, placing their order on the table, “If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to call me over.”

                The two thanked them. The assassin gave the cats a little bit more of his time before gently telling them to go away with his Ren. Siouxsie was already on her second sandwich by the time that he started to eat anything.

                “It feels great to take a break. When I had brought up that I was having a hard time with nen and a particular Hatsu technique, my training was altered significantly. I can barely keep up,” Siouxsie sighed.

                “Which one?”

                “Which?” she repeated, slightly confused.

                “The Hatsu.”

                “Ah, the grenade-bomb one that you told me that I used to do. I can’t figure it out,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee, “I’ve spent so much time on it. Even though I have a better understanding of 4 types I’m still empty handed. It’s annoying.”

                “I’ll help you later,” she gazed at him with confusion yet again, “I’m the one who helped you develop it in the first place.”

                “Really? That’s great!”

                With their lunch finished and legs sufficiently warmed up after a walk around town, the two stopped in the field that she usually goes to with Hisoka to train. Illumi asked her what she was doing to start that particular technique to try and figure out the problem. She typically starts with transmutation but she can’t get her aura to separate once she does.

                “That’s the problem,” he started, “You need to start with _emission_ not transmutation. Once you use Ren you need to focus on the shape of your aura. Imagine that it’s bubbling off of you in small, concentrated balls. Only then can you use transmutation to create a contained fire. They explode once you pop them and the inside is exposed to oxygen.”

                “I see.”

                Walking away from her fiancé, Siouxsie closed her eyes and focused her Ren. She had to picture her aura bubbling off? How was she supposed to do that? Was it supposed to hot water bubble or soap bubble? Illumi warned her not to overthink it as he watched her Ren become increasingly agitated. Siouxsie took a deep breath and decided to start over. Soap bubbles made the most sense. She imagined that her aura was the solution and someone was blowing into it. In her mind she had made a lot of bubbles but upon opening her eyes, she only made one. Next was transmutation right? It shouldn’t be any harder than changing her aura to fire. The bubble erupted into flames when she tried and she was immediately told that she needed to change _only_ the inside of it. When she tried again, the bubble popped. The sun was on its way down when she finally managed to get quite a few bubbles to not pop or burst into flames all at once, all with varying success.

                “Did I… did I do it?” she asked.

                That time, when she used transmutation, the bubble had grown considerably more opaque.

                Illumi nodded his head, Siouxsie cheered. She _finally_ did it! With her attention diverted from her creation that was all that it took for the sphere to start losing its shape. She panicked and tried to refocus but it was too late. Siouxsie used a full-defensive Ren just as a large explosion erupted from the bubble before her, barely protecting her from the blast. When she smoke dissipated, she was standing in a sizable area of scorched grass. Perhaps… she put too much energy in it? But that didn’t matter because she had actually gotten it to work. That was awesome! Siouxsie ran towards Illumi and jumped at him, landing in a hug. Thank yous weren’t necessary when it came to him but she did anyway with a kiss.

 

                With dinner in their bellies and sun down long ago, Siouxsie and Illumi headed back to the arena. The assassin would be leaving in the morning but she felt like she hadn’t gotten to spend much time with him at all. Opening the door to her room, she was puzzled when she stepped on something on the way in. A letter? The handwriting was sloppy but thanks to her training, she was able to read it at least somewhat. Illumi read it over her shoulder.

                _‘Hey SiouSiou. Just wanted to let you know that Gon and I finished what we came here for. I wanted to see you before we left but you weren’t here so I guess this letter will have to do. I’m going to stay at Gon’s for a while. Try not to get yourself killed before you take us out to that dinner that you owe us!_

_P.S. You’re more than welcome to meet us with the others on the meeting day! Oh, and Gon says bye too._

_\- Killua’_

                Just as she finished the post scriptum Illumi asked about the ‘meeting date’ that Killua had mentioned.

                “Sorry but that’s not my information to give since it really doesn’t have anything to do with me,” she said as she walked deeper into the room.

                “Tell me.”

                “No can do.” She threw her hat onto the table and kicked off her sandals.

                “Alright then,” Illumi was suddenly behind her with his arms around her shoulders, “Have it your way.”

                He delivered a soft kiss to her neck and then immediately after blew a raspberry into her skin. She chuckled at the feeling and twisted her body to get away. That tickled! His tricks were relentless and his grip around her was tight. When she finally managed to loosen his hold on her she ended up falling onto the bed, still chuckling at the residual tingling. Siouxsie readjusted herself so that she was on her back just as Illumi straddled her. His hair fell around her head, curtaining her vision from anything besides his face.

                “This is your last chance to speak up,” he said, voice holding a playful tone.

                She giggled.

                “My mouth is sealed Illumi.”

                “ _Well_ … let’s see how long that lasts.”

 


	18. XVIII – Just x Some x Thoughts

 

                Siouxsie and Illumi had a rather interesting night. The man tickled her until she nearly pissed herself (she literally had to kick him to get him off) and when she got back from the bathroom she made him dance with her. He was surprisingly good, maneuvering them both around the room with ease to the music that played on the radio. Unfortunately, with time trickling by and the threat of sunrise in just a few hours, the two decided to call it a night.

                The two of them were fairly tuckered out by the time that they went to bed but Siouxsie just couldn’t sleep. Illumi had drifted off quite some time ago, arms tightly around her, but her mind was racing. It was around one in the morning when she decided to go for a walk. She didn’t bother to change, her tank top and shorts would be fine out in the summer heat. By the time that she realized where she had walked to she was back in the fields. Siouxsie chuckled, she found that training took her mind off of things so that’s exactly where her feet had taken her. This could be a great time to try out another dual-type technique that she had been thinking about lately. She wasn’t sure when she’d head back but for now, this was a welcomed distraction.

 

                The warm night air had gained a nippy feel to it as the night reached its apex but that didn’t stop her from working. Manipulation to steep her aura into the air under her feet to ‘solidify’ it, take a step, emission to detach, repeat. With this, she could essentially walk on air. It would be great for quickly maneuvering when in a battle. It took a while for her to get to a decent height, at least twice her size off of the ground.

                “Siouxsie!” someone called.

                The girl jumped in surprise but managed to keep her balance on the small platform of aura. She let out a sigh of relief before looking down.

                “Hey Illumi. What are you doing here?”

                “What’s on your mind?” he suddenly asked.

                She cocked her head and slowly descended to a decent height to jump from.

                “Nothing really,” she said, crossing her arms, “Just thinking about death.”

                “Cool, but what’s _actually_ bothering you?” she opened her mouth to tell him that nothing was wrong but he spoke again, “I’ve known you for over 10 years, I know when something’s wrong.”

                She was incredibly tempted to keep up with her farce but Illumi put a hand on his hip, his way of showing that he was listening but it wouldn’t be a good idea to lie. Siouxsie sighed and turned her gaze away.

                “It’s just that… you, Hisoka, and Killua mentioned that I’m different than I used to be. I…” she paused as she played with the ring around her neck, “… I want to love you again just like I used to… and I think I do but I wondered if the difference in my personality would make your feelings waver.”

                His aura shifted from curiosity to impassive and she could tell that the look that he was most likely giving her was silently telling her that that was probably the stupidest thing to worry about. She almost felt offended. Almost. While she did think that her worries were for naught, the anxiety always pushed through. In order to temporarily forget about the nagging in her head she would try to distract herself. That’s why she accepted his offer to help her train after lunch and made him dance with her in the hotel room.

                “Siouxsie, your change is considered a _vast_ improvement from your previous behavior.”

                “Eh? Was I that bad?” she asked, dropping her arm.

                “You flipped people off like it was a greeting.” Oh. He walked forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing a kiss on her forehead, “And don’t worry. No matter who you are, I will always love you for you.”

                “Oh my gosh that was so sappy!” she chuckled.

                “It was, but that’s how I truly feel. So you have nothing to worry about. Besides, even if you decided that you didn’t feel the same I wouldn’t let you go unless you killed me, which is unlikely,” he placed a quick, chaste kiss to her lips, “Let’s head back. You’re freezing.”

                Illumi reached over and grabbed her hand, pulling her along. His hand felt sweltering compared to hers.

                “You know, from what you’ve told me, your family sounds kinda old fashioned. If I was the trade-off then why didn’t your mother set me straight? Even I’m starting to wonder how you were able to tolerate me.”

                “That’s because you behaved like a saint whenever my parents were around,” he explained, “You were only aggressive to the people that you didn’t know, less so to the people who knew you but if you cherished someone, you would show them the real you. Someone who acts… kinda like how you do now. Though, you would still behave extremely vulgar at times,” he said.

                She really wondered how in the _world_ he fell for someone who behaved how she did. But… it did soothe her to know that he feels that strongly for her.

                “But… I suppose that you losing your memory is somewhat of a good thing. It seems to have hit a ‘reset switch’ on you. You’re much more relaxed than you used to be.”

                They stayed quiet for a bit longer. Siouxsie was becoming noticeably fatigued and it was getting difficult to stay on her feet. Perhaps she went overboard with her practice?

                “Illumi,” she called, “Let me on your back.”

                “No, you’re heavy.”

                “You take that back right now!” she exclaimed, pounding on his chest.

                As much as she wanted to put force behind her fists, she couldn’t bring herself to put much effort into her movements.

                “You’re so mean!”

                Siouxsie turned away from him and started walking away. Behind her, she heard him sigh, a sign that he caved.

                “Fine you child.”

                Siouxsie cheered as he bent down in front of her. She was asleep before they even entered the arena.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Heaven's Arena Arc will be ending soon and then it's off to the Phantom Troupe Arc!  
> 


	19. XIX – To Win x To x Lose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Mortal Kombat theme plays in the distance*

 

                Illumi awoke a few hours after dawn with his arm thrown lazily over Siouxsie. The man laid in the bed for a while, watching the love of his life as she slept. Forcing himself out of bed, he put his clothes on and gathered his belongings. He walked back over to his fiancée, gently pushing her hair out of her face, and placed a kiss to her temple.  She stirred at his actions, orange eyes slowly opening before making contact with his own.

                “Leaving already?” Siouxsie asked, still half asleep, “Hold on, I’ll see you off.”

                She sat up, the side of her tank top falling precariously low.

                “It’s alright. Go back to sleep,” he cooed.

                “Are you sure?”

                “Yeah.” Just seeing her was enough.

                Siouxsie reached up and pulled him into a hug.

                “Jus’ ‘member tha’ injuries can be heal buh deaf is perm’nent…” she slurred, “So try… n-not to… die… right?”

                Illumi let out a breath, the tiniest of smiles grazed his laps.

                “You don’t need to tell me something that I already know,” he said softly.

                Siouxsie had fallen back asleep with her arms around him. Tucking her back in, Illumi grabbed his stuff and silently left the room. On his way to the elevator, he noticed Hisoka leaning against a wall.          

                “Delay training until noon,” demanded the Zoldyck.

                “Did the two of you have too much fun last night ♦?”

                He chose not to answer and continued on. He had no doubts that Hisoka would push it back.

 

 

                The rest of June and most of August went by in a flash. Siouxsie had a much better grasp on her nen capabilities. She had to admit that Hisoka definitely knew what he was doing. Her own self training had been going well too. In the short amount of time that she had been working on them, she had basically mastered her Hatsu. She could uphold her flames –now called Dragon Blitz –for upwards of an hour if she watched her output. She tended to use Enhancement with that technique, making her movements quicker and stronger. If she altered the purpose of her nen then it became Dragon’s Breath, a healing technique that was best suited for minor injuries and fatigue. Phoenix Shot/Stick were the explosive bubbles that she made into grenades and sticky bombs, formed nearly instantaneously and without complications and Nimble allowed her to ‘walk on air’ without a second’s delay. She had another, Self-Destruct, which was a risky move to use. Essentially it’s the same as Phoenix Shot but instead of a ball, it’s her Ren that explodes. It requires perfect timing of aura detachment and reapplying of Ren in order to not get seriously injured but it’s great for the times when she’s being restrained. Hisoka had never seen the last three and so whenever he saw fit to fight her, she’d be able to catch him off guard… hopefully. He was at a disadvantaged since she could see his Bungee Gum at all times and he knew that. He’d probably have something up his sleeve to combat that.

                “Good morning Siouxsie ♣.” Hisoka greeted.

                “Yeah, morning. What’s on the agenda today?” she asked, looking at her finger. It had been twitching lately, the aura around it flaring uncontrollably.

                “You’re ready,” was all that he said as he narrowed his eyes.

                She knew exactly what he meant. Her training was over. He finally deemed her a worthy opponent. This match was going to test her in a way that training couldn’t. Sure they sparred every once in a while but it was mostly to test her reflexes. Siouxsie couldn’t wait.

                “Alright, I’m going to toss this coin up. Once it lands, the match begins, got it **♦**?” he explained once they were back in the fields.

                Hisoka threw the coin into the air a great distance. Siouxsie stood with her arms crossed and her hip cocked to the side, a trick that he taught her. If you act nonchalant before everything starts then it will make you seem unassuming and your opponent won’t expect much from you, giving you the upper hand when you make your move. Of course, that wouldn’t work on the man that taught her but it was great practice.  

                Siouxsie knew better than to watch as the coin fell, especially when it came to Hisoka. If he got her with his Bungee Gum when she wasn’t looking, it would be an easy win for him. When the coin landed no one moved. It would be best to be on the defensive until Hisoka made his move but she knew that he wouldn’t until she did. She raced towards the man and at the last moment, changed her path and slid behind him. She set her fist on fire and at the same time created a Phoenix Stick and punched him in the back. Hisoka was obviously expecting her to do that and barely budged from her attack. Her plan was to use In to conceal the presence of all of her bombs be them placed on him during attacks or floating around him as she dodged his. The man was quick. She had watched his matches but seeing and partaking in is two different things. Hisoka swung his leg around, aiming for her head. Siouxsie barely managed to block it, arms up and crossed to brace the impact. She jumped back to access the damage. The aura in the area was agitated, a sure sign that his attack was going to leave a bruise… as well as all of the other places that he hit her. Siouxsie had also managed to get a few hits on Hisoka as well, though not nearly as much. She rubbed at the new sore spot on her arm and noticed that the twitching in her finger had spread to her arm. She barely had time to acknowledge it before the man was on her yet again. He threw a punch and she jumped back, barely dodging it. He smirked at her reaction.

                _‘Why is he… oh fuck!’_ she hurriedly lowered her gaze to the ground.

                “My my, and you were doing so well too **♠**.”

                He must have used the slight distraction of her arm to throw some of his Bungee Gum onto the ground. No matter how much she pulled, her feet were stuck to the floor. Hisoka came at her with another attack but thankfully, Siouxsie had a trick under her sleeve. All of the Phoenix Shots and sticks detonated all at once around or on him in a glorious explosion. She chuckled at her surprise attack.

                _‘I wonder if he died.’_

The girl shook her head. Why did she think that? She made sure not to make them too concentrated since she _didn’t_ want to injure him too badly. There was no way that he would be taken down but it would buy her enough time to figure out a way out of his trap. Normal gum and rubber bubble and weaken under heat so maybe if she used a bit of fire…?

                It worked, to a point. She wasn’t stuck to that spot but with every step, the residual Bungee Gum would cause her to stick ever so slightly. She’d have to use Nimble. Siouxsie had refrained from using it so that she would have a way out or a vantage point after she detonated her bombs. If she used it while barely off of the ground, it’s possible that he wouldn’t notice. Siouxsie grabbed at her arm. It was shaking uncontrollably. The aura around it was flaring like her finger and she could feel it slowly spreading. Whatever was going on, she didn’t think that she’d be able to use-- Hisoka charged out of the smoke and punched her in the stomach. She landed a few feet away on the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

                “I’ve never seen you use that before. Were you practicing that on your own **♦**?” he asked, knowing that she couldn’t answer.

                Siouxsie rolled to face him, she couldn’t risk him kicking her while she was down. Her eyes widened when she finally got a look at him. He barely had scratch on him other than what was there before. The force behind that explosion was enough to seriously injure a normal person! How was he barely injured by it? Hisoka smirked, most likely at the confused look on her face, but didn’t say anything. Siouxsie pulled herself to her feet, staggering on wobbly legs.

                “I think that we’re about done here ♣.” Hisoka announced.

                “B-But I can still fight!”

                They weren’t even going for that long! The man hummed.

                “Alright then.”

                He charged at her, readying his fist for a punch. A small chuckle escaped her lips. And then suddenly…

everything went black.

 


	20. XX – This Is x Who x I Am

 

                Siouxsie slowly opened her eyes. Oh man, everything hurt. Her Echo didn’t seem to be working correctly at the moment. Her aura must be a bit off. Where was she? She knew that she was sitting… but where? Her head was leaning against something cold. A window?

                “Welcome back to the world ♣,” she heard.

                “Hisoka?” she called, still dazed. Siouxsie focused on calming her aura, allowing her Echo to slowly let reality fade in. Hisoka was sitting opposite to her, gazing out of the window, “Where are we?”

                “On an airship.”

                “Hmmm…,” she hummed, “why did we leave the arena?”

                “Because I’ve done everything that I needed to be done.”

                He explained that she had actually been unconscious for a little over a day and they had been on the airship for about half of that. Siouxsie was confused. She knew that she didn’t overdo it with her nen so why was she asleep for so long?

                “I’m sure that you noticed during the fight: the intrusive thoughts, the unintentional laughter, and the gradual dysfunctionality of your arm, and I’m aware that Illumi told you about your habit of enjoying your assassination jobs a little _too_ much.”

                “I tried to kill you?!” she exclaimed, sobering up at his words.

                He crossed his legs, looking at his fingernails as if what he said wasn’t a terrifying thought.

                “Yes but to no avail. I had been aware of your slipping consciousness for a few days,” he started, “You were driven _mad_ by the itch to kill **♦**. The first sign was the twitching. That’s why I fought you today ♣. I had fun though. Good job.”

                “Says the man covered in bandages,” she mumbled.     

                If she focused enough, she could see bandages over his normally exposed skin up to his neck with a few band aids on his face.

                “Just because something was fun doesn’t make it easy,” he started, “Once you succumbed to the madness, you were radiating the most _delicious_ bloodlust that I had ever seen and immediately bathed yourself in a brilliant fire **♦**. You’re quite strong when you don’t have physical limits to hold you back. You probably would have ended up killing yourself if I hadn’t stopped you.”

                Siouxsie had heard enough. She stood and excused herself. Her legs were still uneasy but she managed to walk away with the help of the chairs. She grabbed at her arms on her way to a secluded place. She could feel bandages constrict her skin as she moved, the amount not nearly as much as Hisoka. For him to have so many… she must have really wanted to kill him.

                There weren’t a lot of people on the airship, making being alone much easier. Once a sizable distance way from where she came too, Siouxsie found a set of seats by the back and sat between them on the floor. She pushed as far back as she could but something stopped her. Her backpack? Oh… Hisoka must have put it on her. Removing her backpack, she pulled Mr. Numen out and hugged him, her knees to her chest.

                A beast… is that what she really was? Siouxsie’s backpack tipped over. Her phone slipped out with a clack, vibrating when she picked it up. A notification? She asked her phone what it was from.

                “A message from Illumi?” she repeated, “Read message.”

                “ **Hisoka told me about what happened. If you want to talk about it I’ll be available** ,” it read, “Would you care to reply?”

                She looked at her phone, contemplating the offer. As much as she wanted to be alone, she really wanted to hear his voice. Telling her phone to call instead, she placed the receiver to her ear. It rang twice before picking up.

                “How are you doing?” Illumi asked.

                “Awful,” she curled in on herself even more, “When Hisoka told me what happened… I… I was afraid… I sounded awful! Like a monster!”

                She couldn’t stop the tears that flowed down her cheeks no matter how much she wiped at them.

                “Siouxsie…” he paused, “You’re not a monster so don’t call yourself that. It’s who you are but you haven’t learned to control it yet.”

                “Did I… did I do the same thing on Zevil against those guys?”

                She remembers being hit from behind with enough force to knock her out but she doesn’t remember hitting the ground. He didn’t respond right away.

                “You didn’t kill them. I stepped in once you knocked them down.”

                “I’m terrible.”

                “Stop that-

                “But I _am!_ “ she yelled, “I’m not _like_ you! I don’t think I can restrain myself when lose control! You didn’t see what I did to Hisoka! There’s so many bandages…” her voice dropped down to a near whisper, “I don’t wanna be a reckless killer Illumi… “

                The Zoldyck stayed quiet for a moment. She nearly thought that he hung up.

                “Hisoka told me that he’s taking you with him. There’s someone who knows you there,” someone else? Siouxsie wondered who it could be, “They’ve helped you reign yourself in back then and should be able to help you again.”

                “But wasn’t I supposed to go back to the manor once I was done at the arena?”

                “It’s fine. I have a job coming up so don’t worry about rushing back,” he explained, “I’ve already waited 5 years, what’s another week or two?”

                Illumi managed to change the subject to momentarily distract her from her situation until he was forced to hang up. Taking a calming breath, she stood up and made her way back to Hisoka.

                “Welcome back ♣,” he greeted, standing to wrap his arms around her.

                “What are you doing?”

                “You looked like you needed a hug.”

                “Please stop. This is weird.”

                It was unusual and slightly unnerving for Hisoka to show any type of affection.

                “Thank goodness. That was awful ♦,” he pulled away.

                He glanced at her and smiled, placing a hand on her head.

                “I’m starving. Let’s get something to eat **♥**.”

                Hisoka may not be a compassionate person but he showed that he cared in other ways. Siouxsie gave a soft smile. Whoever they were going to meet, she really hoped that they could help.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if Hisoka came off as a bit weird towards the end. He's difficult to work with sometimes


	21. XXI – Welcome x To x Yorknew

 

                “ _Hisokaaa_ …”

                “I’m losing my patience. It would be best if you stopped asking me ♦”

                After they disembarked from the airship, they took a train to the outskirts of Yorknew City. Although Siouxsie still felt awful about what she did to him in Padokea, she was still curious as to their destination. Every time she asked where they were going, he told her that it was a secret. While it soothed her curiosity at first, the longer that they travelled, the less his “secret” response worked. In the end, Hisoka had taken her to the outskirts of the city towards an abandoned area. She was going to question why they were hopping a fence into a restricted location but didn’t want to anger him so she kept her mouth shut. But just where were they going? He led her into a dilapidated building and Siouxsie could feel 12 other people in the area. Some of them were pretty strong, but some were weaker than she was. She could also hear a few voices inside.

                “I want you to stay here until I say you can come in ok?” he instructed in a hushed tone, “Don’t want to spook them ♣.”

                “O-ok.”

                They heard someone say that they were going to tear the man apart. Scary. Hisoka patted her head before turning into a doorway.

                “ _Oh dear_ ,” expressed Hisoka, “That sounds quite gruesome indeed. I’m simply terrified **♦**.”

                The man walked into the room as the guy who threatened him angrily shouted at him. She heard a girl say that she thought that he wouldn’t show up. Was he late? It was her fault wasn’t it? She reached up and fingered at her ring necklace. If he was it made sense. He _did_ have to lug her unconscious body around for a little bit. Actually how did he manage to even get her on the airship without rousing any suspicion? Her guilt was sidetracked when she heard Hisoka tell everyone that he brought a gift and told her that it was ok to come in now. Everyone in that room was on edge and she could feel it. Hopefully they wouldn’t see her as a threat and attack her.

                Siouxsie slowly walked into the room. It was silent. She could tell that all eyes were on her and it made her nerves even worse. The sound of a book shutting startled her. She managed to keep her reaction hidden but the footsteps that were approaching made her want to run. Hisoka brought her here for a reason and she, unfortunately trusted him so whoever these people were must not be a danger to her though… to be honest, sometimes the man’s motives were a bit questionable. The person stopped just as another stood behind her. A hand was placed on her shoulder and she instantly felt off… like she was being violated by their touch.

                “You… _are_ Siouxsie Notlea… right?” a soft voice asked.

                She nodded her head, uncertain about who she was speaking to. Who was the person with their hand on her shoulder? Who were the people in the room with them?

                “From what I can tell, she _is_ Siouxsie however…,” spoke the one behind her, “she doesn’t seem to remember anything from before she went missing.”

                The man all but threw himself at her at the woman’s words, bringing her into a tight hug, inadvertently burying her face in his chest.

                “You’re alive,” he uttered holding her tighter, “I’m so glad.”

                “I-I’m sorry… d-do I know you?”

                Clearly he knew her, especially since his aura grew dejected at her statement. The man sighed as he let go.

                “So you _weren’t_ lying Machi,” he voiced.

                “I told you that I was only relaying what Hisoka told me.”

                Siouxsie glanced towards Hisoka. He had told these people about her? The man asked if she knew what had happened to her back then. Shouldn’t he be introducing himself to her at this point? It’s only fair. Pushing those thoughts to the side, she relayed what Illumi had told her earlier in the year: the mafia, the drugs, the injury, even Marsden. She could feel the anger radiating off of the man. He closed his eyes and relaxed, a small exhale leaving his lips.

                “In that case, I’m sure that you’re confused,” said the man, his aura completely relaxed, “Unless someone informed you of the tattoo on your torso there’s no way that you would have found out that you were once a part of us… a part of our family until 5 years ago. Whoever orchestrated your capture… _they will **not** be forgiven_.”

                The tone of his words was murderous, sending a shiver down her spine. Wait… she’s felt this before… this murderous aura. It was similar to Hisoka and Illumi’s, but also different. Hisoka’s aura had a playfulness to it and Illumi’s was detached unless he was actually angry then it felt oppressive but this one felt completely different. This man’s Ren was actually terrifying. It was like if the murder was tangible at that very moment. Her thoughts were suddenly filled with what she had been told only months prior. The Phantom Troupe! When Illumi told her that she was a part of it she was skeptical… but to think that it was true? It was a little overwhelming. It’s not every day when you’re told that you’re a part of a famous gang of thieves.

                “We lost you once and we have no intention of losing you again,” the man reached out. She flinched as his hands made contact with her head, gently pulling her forward until their foreheads met, “Welcome home.”

                This action felt all too familiar… it filled her with a familiar warmth that she didn’t know that she missed. Her eyes filled with tears, the wetness sliding down her cheeks. Hesitantly, she reached up and grabbed at the man’s open jacket.

                “I… I’m back Chrollo.”

                The man –no, Chrollo’s eyes widened in surprise before softening and closing, a soft smile on his face.

                She was home.

 


	22. XXII – It’s x September x First

 

                Chrollo had decided that the Troupe was going to rob the Southernpiece Auction. And not just for a few things either; they were going to take _everything_. ’The Boss’, as they called him, knew that Siouxsie wasn’t, and never was surprisingly, comfortable with the life of crime and told her that she was welcome to do whatever she wanted. The next day she asked if she could accompany him since he was supposed to be doing a reconnaissance-like mission and once they separated she could find Gon and the others. She didn’t tell him about the latter part but she would love to spend at least a little bit of time with her childhood friend before shit inevitably hit the fan. She didn’t need to see Kurapika to know that he was chasing them down like a scent hound looking for its prey. If she didn’t keep him away he was going to get himself killed.

                Chrollo had already changed into his tuxedo and, not wanting to stand out against him, put on the sundress that she had gotten in Padokea. The two had left earlier in the day to catch up and since there was still quite a bit of time before the auction started, they stopped somewhere to eat. As they ate and enjoyed a nice conversation, Siouxsie remembered what Illumi had told her on the airship; Chrollo knew something about how she acted but before she asked about that, she wanted to know about her nen.

                “Before you left Meteor City to go with your father, I had taught you the basics of nen,” his aura darkened. He lowered his fork onto his plate, placed his elbows on the table, and intertwined his fingers in front of his face, “Back then… you were an emitter. We managed to meet up every month or so after you left and every time I saw you, you were still an emitter. However, at one point, I lost contact with you for seven months. During that gap, your father sold you to the Zoldycks to pay off the debt that he owed. Before you met your fiancé, you had suddenly gained the ability to use transmutation as if you were born with it but when I asked him about it, he claimed that you were using both when he had first met you. You had only met each other two months before we were able to meet up again. No one can master another nen type in five months. Personally… I think that your father had been experimenting on you.”

                Siouxsie was shocked. Experimenting? On his daughter?

                “Did you ask me if he was?”

                “Yes but you denied it every time. I don’t think that you were aware of his misdoings. It’s also possible that you were being brainwashed.”

                She was almost afraid to ask.

                “What made you think that?”

                “Because you look completely different from what you did back then. Originally, your hair was dark brown and your eyes were chestnut brown. I understand that you may not know what colors mean at the moment but the difference is glaring. Think light and dark,” he started, “When I saw you for the first time after those seven months your hair was grey and short, almost as if it had fallen out and was in the process of growing back. Every time you left, you would return with the same short hair and your eyes had suddenly changed an orange-brown color. Those colors are similar but to someone who’s known you for all of their lives, it was blatantly obvious. There were small cuts of various healing stages near them when I first noticed. Your skin was much paler than it is now as well too. If I hadn’t watched you change over time, I would never have recognized you,” explained Chrollo, “That’s why I believe that your father was experimenting on you. But I supposed that it all worked out in the end. You were slowly becoming increasingly aggressive until one day, you blacked out and killed your father. It took a lot of work to control your bloodlust after that.”

                “How do I… how do I control it?” Siouxsie asked, “It’s my fault that Hisoka and I are injured. While we were training I lost control and tried to kill him. After that I… kinda lost all confidence in my abilities.”

                Chrollo watched her over his still intertwined hands but she wouldn’t meet his gaze. Her eyes were glued to her own plate of half-eaten food.

                “Either you kill frequently or you find other means of pleasure,” he started, lowering his arms to grasp his beverage, “However… your bloodlust is exactly that. A lust for blood, not for killing. While you do enjoy the kill, what actually makes you come back to your senses is ingesting your victim’s blood.”

                Both of those didn’t sound like good answers. He told her that whenever they were together and her bloodlust would start to rise, they would go hunting but if it had gotten too bad then he would offer some of his blood. That’s how he kept her in check. A small price to pay for his ‘sister’ to stay sane. Siouxsie sighed. She supposed that if that’s how he managed to keep her under control then that’s what she had to do on her own. It… was going to be a challenge.

                “The worst thing that you can do is lose confidence in yourself. Your confidence is what makes you strong,” instructed Chrollo, “Don’t lose sight of yourself ok?”

 

                With their meal over and the sun starting to tinge the sky with color, the two made their way towards the general area of the Southernpiece Auction. Chrollo informed her that the large building sticking out against the smaller ones was where he would be for a large majority of the night. He warned her that there will most definitely be a war later on tonight and he advised that she stay away from the vicinity.

                It wasn’t long after the two separated that Siouxsie remembered that she didn’t have anyone of her friend’s phone numbers. She sighed. Everyone was supposed to be in the area. She was bound to run into one of them eventually. Distracting herself with sweets and street performers, she eventually heard a familiar voice yelling. Killua? He was close. Siouxsie turned a corner and sure enough, there he was with Gon who was on the phone.

                “Hey SiouSiou!” Killua greeted happily.

                “Hey guys, what’s up?”

                He pointed his thumb at Gon.

                “Look, we want to help them too! So please, Kurapika…”

                Kurapika?

                “Gon! Let me talk to him!” she was handed the phone, “Kurapika you _idiot_! Why did you attack the Phantom Troupe? They’re out for your blood!”

                “I’m aware. Gon and Killua already told me.”

                “No, you don’t understand. One of them in particular is hell-bent on killing you and he’s trying to get the others to follow suit.”

                Siouxsie realized what she said a bit too late and he picked up on it.

                “You’re a Troupe member aren’t you?” his voice was strained.

                _Dammit_. He sounded a little angry. Actually… a little wasn’t the right word…

                “Apparently? It’s obligatory. I don’t agree with much of anything,” she defended, “Just please, keep an eye out. I’m trying to keep you out of harm’s way!”

                Kurapika was quiet on the other line for a moment.

                “I’ll… call you guys back later.”

                The line ended. She sighed, hoping that he didn’t hate her now. But it’s not like she knew when she befriended him… Kurapika was a good friend and she didn’t want to lose him over something like this.

                “You look very pretty today Siouxsie!” Gon complimented, “I’ve never see you with your hair down before!”

                His praise caught her off guard but it was definitely a welcomed distraction.

                “You idiot. SiouSiou is always pretty,” Killua scolded.

                She chuckled at their antics, never really noticing that she missed them until now.

                “So, are you here with my brother?” asked the Zoldyck.

                Siouxsie gazed at him with bewilderment, silently asking why he asked that.

                “I’m not dumb. I know that the two of you are dating or something,” he replied matter-o-factly as he put his hands behind his head, “I didn’t write the day on the note that I left you because I knew that he was with you that day.”

                Gon was freaking out beside her. He obviously had no idea that was the case, which was to be expected from an airhead. She loved him but the boy really needed to use his head more, if he did then maybe his brain wouldn’t fry whenever he tried to use it. Since Killua had already figured out that they were together, she may as well tell him the truth.

                “What?! You’re engaged?! And you didn’t tell me?!”

                “Sorry!” she exclaimed, holding her hands together in a silent beg for forgiveness, “Apparently I wanted to keep it a secret.”

                Killua seemed a bit irritated at her words but sighed regardless.

                “At least then you’ll _actually_ be my sister…” he mumbled, cheeks slightly dusted with pink.

                Siouxsie’s heart fluttered at his words. She scooped the Zoldyck into her arms and swung him back and forth in a tight hug, gushing about how cute he was acting all the while he complained and begged to be put down. Gon, who she had momentarily forgotten was even there spoke up.

                “So if you’re not here with Killua’s brother then are you with Hisoka?”

                “Not exactly,” she put Killua down, “While he was the one to bring me to Yorknew, I haven’t seen Hisoka since yesterday. I’m technically with someone else but they left me a bit ago to do something. I’m just wandering around until they call me.”

                “In that case, wanna come with us to meet Leorio?” asked Gon.

                It had been a while since she’s seen the guy. For now, it was time to hang out with some friends who were oddly half her age.

                The three walked into a hotel room and Siouxsie’s nose was immediately assaulted with the stench of alcohol and salt. The room was littered with beer cans and open chip bags, Leorio and some guy sitting along the midst of it.

                “Really?” mumbled Killua, “We were captured and these two are sitting here drinking?” 

                “Hey~! You’re back huh? And you brought Siouxsie! Join the party! Come on have a drink with us!” Leorio invited drunkenly.

                “Idiot! Gon and I aren’t old enough to drink alcohol! And I’m pretty sure you’re not either are you?” Killua accused.

                After a bit more drunken madness and Siouxsie learning that the other guy in the room, Zepile, had been helping Killua and Gon gather money for the auction, the boys explained to everyone what happened to them during the day. Leorio and Zepile immediately sobered at the mention of the Phantom Troupe. They had no idea that they had come close to losing their friends. Just like the others, Siouxsie also had no idea about the events of today. If she had been there, she may had been able to get them out without much of an issue. She had only figured out that Kurapika was the chain user that they’re freaking out about earlier in the day while she was out with Chrollo so Pakunoda’s ability wouldn’t be much use. But, as long as they made it out safely she supposed that it was alright.

                “I haven’t just been drinking myself silly I’ve been learning a whole lot from Zepile here! And tomorrow morning we’ll hit up the auction! You guys are coming too right?” Leorio asked.

                Gon and Killua glanced at each other.

                “I’m actually here with someone so I’m only going to be with you guys for a little bit,” explained Siouxsie.

                “And I’d like to but I need to find Kurapika and learn all about nen.” Gon replied.

                “Kurapika? So you guys got through to him?” Leorio asked.

                “Yup. But we’re waiting on him to call us back.”

                “Wait, you say you’re going to learn about nen from him?”

                “Yeah that’s right.”

                “Why? He just learned about nen himself didn’t he?” Leorio recounted, “Why not ask Siouxsie?”

                “They can’t learn from me because, well… for 1 I want them to figure it out without my help, and for 2, I can use four types of nen without really thinking-

                “Four?! I thought you could use two?” Killua interrupted.

                “Well, yes, transmutation and emission are my primary but with the training that I received over the summer, I can use manipulation and enhancement to a point,” she explained, wagging a finger, “However, because I hardly even understand my own nen, I would also not be a good teacher for unlocking potential.”

                “Also, Kurapika managed to defeat a member of the Phantom Troupe,” added Gon.

                “Seriously?” gasped Leorio.

                “Yeah, he knows something about it we don’t.” Killua said, “He has to. Like a strength that doesn’t need power. Or like an experience to make it work.”

                Everyone in the room listened intently to Siouxsie after Gon asked why Kurapika seemed so angry when he hung up earlier. The cat was out of the bag at this point. Yes, she was a part of the Troupe but she made it clear as to her reasons back then and even potentially now to be a part of them. Just after she finished explaining her phone began to vibrate and play a tune.

 **“You are receiving a phone call from Mimi,”** her phone told her, **“Would you like to answer?”**

                “Oh, do excuse me!” she excused.

                “Mimi?” she heard Killua repeat as she stepped out.

                She’s really glad that she changed his name to that. It made it easier to contact him without people immediately realizing the context of their conversations.

                “Hey Illumi!” she greeted, “I’m assuming that you finished your job?”

                “Yeah, it was much easier than I anticipated,” he answered, “You sound much better today, I take it that you talked to Chrollo?”

                “Mmhmm. He basically told me how we dealt with it before I had gone to live with you and even afterwards. It… wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear but… sometimes what you don’t want is what you _need_ to hear.”

                “What did he say?”

                Siouxsie relayed everything that Chrollo had told her, even the possibility of experimentation. Now that she thought about it if she was brainwashed like Chrollo thought then maybe that was the reason why she was so adamant about her nen abilities. But if that’s the case, then who’s to say that her father didn’t change anything else? It certainly was a possibility.

                “Enough of that, it’s depressing to even think about,” she sighed.

                “At least we know what to do since you’ll be back to living with me. You took jobs rather frequently and so I can only assume that’s the reason why I had never seen you behave strangely,” he paused, “I’m going to be passing through Yorknew in a while, would you like to accompany me back to Padokea when you’re done?”

                “That would be lovely,” Siouxsie smiled, “If ‘You Know Who’ is as elusive as they say then they shouldn’t be around for too much longer anyway.”

 **“You are receiving another phone call,”** her phone interrupted.

                “Speak of the devil and he doth appear. They must have finished.”

                Saddened that their conversation was cut short, the two said their goodbyes before hanging up. On the other line, Chrollo informed her that they were, in fact, done, and on their way back to the hideout.

                “You don’t have to come back if you don’t want to, I don’t want you to feel like I’m forcing you,” he said.

                “No, no! You’re definitely not forcing me at all. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be there soon.”

                Siouxsie hung up the phone and turned to head back into the hotel room. Upon entry all eyes were on her. Something was wrong.

                “What?” she asked.

                “Kurapika called back,” informed Gon, “he said that… that the Phantom Troupe was dead…”

                Siouxsie cocked her head to the side in confusion. She had _literally_ just gotten off of the phone with Chrollo. It must have been a rouse but she had to play along.

                “Wha- how?” distress in her voice.

                “Gon tried to ask the same thing but he hung up,” Leorio added.

                She shook her head in disbelief.

                “I-I’m sorry… I… I gotta go.”

                She ran out of the door, hoping that her act was believable at least to Killua. If she fooled him then everyone else was sure to also believe her. 

 

 


	23. XXIII – Kurapika’s x In x Trouble

 

                It was the following day that Chrollo announced that the Troupe would be heading back home after a successful raid of the auction. Since they were leaving and she couldn’t follow, Siouxsie figured that she could go back and be with Killua, Gon, Leorio, and hopefully Kurapika for a day or two before going with Illumi.

                “Hold on just a second,” Nobunaga objected, snapping Siouxsie out of her thoughts, “What do you mean we’re leaving?”

                “Just like I told you. We’re leaving tonight,” answered Chrollo, “We’ll take the rest of the treasure and that’s the end of it.”

                Nobunaga didn’t want to leave just yet. He wanted to find Kurapika and kill him, claiming that Uvogin would be bored in the next life without him. Franklin tried to get him to stop but he brushed him off, turning instead to mock Chrollo by calling him by his name instead of “boss”. This was going to get out of hand.

                “Nobunaga you need to calm down,” Siouxsie advised.

                “You’ve been gone for the past five years _and_ you don’t even remember anything! You don’t even remember who Uvo was!” he yelled, “You have _no **right**_ to tell me what to do!”

                “You don’t even know who they are! _Anyone_ could be the chain user- hell _I_ could be! What then?”

                She felt a sudden rise in hostility just as Nobunaga drew his blade and swung. He wasn’t going to attack but she wasn’t going to run away either. She used Ryu, focusing her nen in her hand and blocked the blade with the back of it, only slightly cutting her. A small trickle of blood slid down her arm. She could hear the others urging him to calm down and for her to stop provoking him.

                “I don’t care who the chain user is but they need to pay!” he yelled, voice lowering with a threat, “I won’t hesitate to cut them down, even if it’s you.”

                All was quiet. Everyone in the room was on edge, Chrollo was close to stepping in himself. Siouxsie let out a frustrated sigh. If this continued then someone was going to end up dead.

                “You’re not the only one grieving you know!” she exclaimed, referring to everyone else. Siouxsie had gotten to meet Uvo during her first night in Yorknew. He was a bit gruff but he wasn’t _that bad_ of a guy. She’s certain that they could have been friends just like he said they were before, “But clearly, you’re not gonna listen to reason.”  

                She dislodged the blade from her hand and left the room. She needed to cool down. Long walks usually did the trick, however she knew that with him acting the way that he was, her walk would have to be a long one. After a little while walking around the dilapidated buildings, a large amount of aura suddenly filled her vision, nearly blinding her in the process. Siouxsie had to close her eyes and temporarily stop using her Echo in order to see properly. Was she currently inside someone’s En? If she recalled correctly, Kortopi could make replicas of stuff but if that was the case then great, now she had no idea where she was anymore. Deciding to leave the area and try to view the buildings from a different angle, she paused when she felt something towards the outskirts of the area. It felt familiar. Could it be? Siouxsie hopped the fence and approached the source of her curiosity. Her search took her to a building not far from the fenced off area.

                Using Nimble to effortlessly get to the top, she was equally surprised and unfazed to see Killua –who was just as surprised to see her –and Melody, a colleague of Kurapika’s. What were they doing over here? And _together_ for that matter? Staking out the Troupe apparently _and_ on Kurapika’s orders. Melody was there to listen for any movement. Siouxsie rubbed her temples in mild aggravation. Even though she explicitly warned him he _still insisted_ on messing with them.

                “The rain makes it difficult to make out what they’re saying but there’s a group of people talking over there,” Melody pointed out, “There are 5 or 6 of them including some women. And they’re all heading away from those abandoned buildings.”

                Half of them had left? Siouxsie tried to see what Melody was hearing but Kortopi’s En buildings were completely blocking her view. What were they up to though? She gasped. Nobunaga must have convinced them to...

                “Guys this is bad! Kurapika’s in trouble!” she exclaimed.

                “Why? What's the matter?” asked Killua.

                “The reason why they're leaving… it's to find him!”

                The others wasted no time in running away from where they were stationed. It was going to take some time to get back into the city. There was a good chance that they were going to take a train there. Melody had stopped them after some time, telling them that the Troupe members were just around the corner. Killua climbed a building to check it out and called Kurapika to fill him in on the situation. He deduced that they were going to take the train as well and wanted them to follow. Siouxsie told them that she was going ahead since hiding from them would only be suspicious. Plus she could try to slow them down while she was at it.

                “What are you doing over there Siouxsie?” Chrollo asked.

                Pretending to be on edge, she jumped around, reaching for her knives in her holsters.

                “Oh. It's just you. Could have sworn someone was following me just now,“ she lied, resisting the urge to cross her arms, “but to answer your question, I _was_ going for a walk but then decided to go to a coffee shop that found near the auction yesterday,”  

                “You should head back. The chain user is targeting us and I’d rather you not get hurt.”

                “I know how to handle myself. I’ll be fine.”

                She knew that they were heading towards the auction area since, somehow, they found out that Kurapika worked for the Nostrad family and that was where they were at the moment. There was no way that she was going back. Chrollo caved and told her that she could do what she wanted but she had to stay with them until they got off the train. She pretended to be aggravated by his demand since Nobunaga was with him as well as Shizuku, Machi, and Pakunoda and ‘reluctantly agreed’.

                The train ride felt stiflingly on edge. Nobunaga’s aura was practically radiating bloodlust while the others were more curious about the situation. Killua and Melody were the next car over using Zetsu to stay hidden. Not long after, everyone got off of the train at Leipa Station and once they were out of the subway, Chrollo asked where the café was. She pointed in a random direction in an attempt to dissuade him.

                “But you don’t have to walk me. I’ll be fine. Besides, I don’t wanna be near Nobunaga right now.”

                “You know your attitude is really getting on my nerves,” said the samurai in response.

                “Stop it,” Chrollo demanded before turning to Siouxsie, “Are you sure that you’ll be alright?”

                “ _Yes!_ Just go do what you came here to do already!” she shooed.

                Chrollo sighed and with a prompt signal, they all took off in two different directions. Wow, they were quick. If she blinked then she would have missed them. Killua and Melody approached her shortly after, the boy already on the phone with Kurapika.

                “All three of us are still at the entrance but they just ran off to the Northwest,” he paused, “Wait you’re _chasing_ them?”

            Siouxsie stared down the street towards where they had ran off and chased after them. That idiot seriously had a death wish! If he’s caught they’ll kill him! She had no idea where they were but Gon was nearby, also running after Kurapika. His aura was easy to track but the streets of Yorknew were incredibly confusing to navigate. By the time that she found him, both he and Killua had been captured by Chrollo, Shizuku, and Machi. _Just. Fucking. Great._ They probably let themselves get captured so that Kurapika could get away since he was in the alley to her left. No matter how much she thought, Siouxsie couldn't come up with a way out of this situation.

                “Don’t kill them,” she pleaded to Chrollo.

                Any injury was something that could heal but death was permanent.

                “Machi thinks that they may be connected to who we’re looking for. I can make no promises.”

                “ _Don’t. **Kill them.**_ ”

                Chrollo examined her. She almost felt small under his scrutinizing gaze.

                “You know who the chain user is don’t you.” His question sounded more like a statement.

                She kept quiet. None of them, except Chrollo, could restrain her and he looked ready to do it. It would seem that they won't stop short at anything to capture Kurapika.

                “Don’t make me do something that I’ll regret,” she said, widening her stance defensively.

                The man closed his eyes and turned around.

                “Go back to the hideout and wait for us there. Let’s go.” The others followed suit.

                His tone held no room for argument. She stood there as they retreated, unable to do anything but watch. Once they were far enough away, Kurapika came out of hiding with Melody. She heard the woman telling him that it would be best to keep their distance since they were now on high alert. Siouxsie was pissed. She walked over and slapped him.

                “What the actual hell is wrong with you?! Do you know how much danger you just put them in?! I only have so much influence on the leader and he barely listens to me anyway! Once I go back I’ll end up in the same situation if not worse! There's _nothing_ that I can do to help them!”

                “ _I know that!_ I’ll figure something out alright?!” Kurapika lowered his balled up fists and let out a breath, “I’m sorry.”

                “Humans _all_ have to lower their guard sooner or later. You’re no different. We must wait,” suggested Melody.

                She was, unfortunately, absolutely right. Only time would tell.

 


	24. XXIV – They x Got x Captured

 

                As much as Siouxsie didn’t want to, it would be best to follow Chrollo’s orders and head back to the base. Melody had been listening and informed them that the Troup was rendezvousing at a hotel nearby. She wished them luck and let him know that she and everyone else was counting on him. If he failed and Siouxsie behaved, maybe Chrollo would let the boys go and focus his attention on her. Though, to be honest, if Pakunoda used her ability on her, all that she would get would be his name. Either way, it was time to head back.

                With a bit of difficulty due to Kortopi’s En still up, Siouxsie managed to make it back to the real building that housed their hideout. Franklin, Kortopi, Hisoka, and Bonolenov were still there.

                “Welcome Back Siouxsie,” greeted Franklin, “Did you have a nice walk?”

                “Yeah…” she trailed, huffing in aggravation.

                She looked towards Hisoka, who was sitting in the windowsill playing with his deck of cards, and walked over to a large rock nearby.

                “Oh dear. I know that tone. Did something happen **♠**?”

                “I got in trouble…” she answered as she plopped down on the ground.

                “The Boss got mad at you for leaving?” Franklin asked, confused.

                Siouxsie rubbed the back of her head as she played with the ring around her neck.

                “No… not exactly…” she started, “I know who the chain user is but didn’t tell anybody. I didn’t do it on purpose at first since I only figured it out the other day but once I did I was so torn. I wanted to help you guys find the person who took down Uvogin but…”

                “You didn’t want to see your friend get captured,” Franklin finished. Siouxsie nodded in agreement, “In that case, I don’t blame you for your actions… but that doesn’t mean that I forgive you.”

                Siouxsie sighed and leaned against the rock that Hisoka was on, looking up at the sky through the hole in the ceiling. The sound of a cellphone ringing filled the room.

                “Hey Phinks,” greeted Franklin, “What-“

                The man was cut-off by the person on the other line. She could vaguely make out his words since Phinks was talking so loudly.

                “The Boss will die if the ten of us aren’t together. And he’s using the hostages as messengers,” Franklin relayed, “I’m guessing that he’s not counting Siouxsie as a member but either way, that’s pretty smart.”

                Siouxsie rubbed her face. That was his idea of fixing the problem? Kidnapping Chrollo? What on earth was that guy thinking? Nothing, that’s what. Sometimes she wondered if he cared more about his vengeance than his friends, though she knew that it was the complete opposite. Kurapika was a compassionate person and that was the problem. If the Troupe members find out about that weakness of his, his plan will blow up right in his face. It was quiet as they waited for the other to return, drawing attention to Hisoka, who jumped down from the window.

                “Where might you be going?” asked Bonolenov.

                “A man can only sit for so long before nature calls **♦** ,” he answered nonchalantly.

                He walked out of the room without another word. The quiet once again returned. Siouxsie couldn’t help but think about how dead she was when the others returned. Machi and Shizuku seemed to handle the information just fine but should Nobunaga, Phinks, or Feitan find out… she didn’t know what they’d do. It was only a matter of time before they got back now. Siouxsie took a deep breath and leaned further back against the rock, closing her eyes in an attempt to relax. The sound of Hisoka’s heels clicking against the floor reached her ears and increased in volume before stopping by her. Hisoka sat on the rock that she was leaning on and pulled out his deck of cards. She found it a bit odd that he chose to sit by her instead of in the window but she didn’t think anything of it.

                The Troupe members came back not long after. Siouxsie was jerked out of her relaxed state by an angry Phinks clutching her shirt.

                “I can’t believe that you knew who the chain user was and didn’t say anything!” he yelled.

                “Listen to yourself Phinks, I’m blind. The most that I could tell you was his name, which isn’t very helpful to you now is it?” she pulled his hand from her shirt, “Besides, I haven’t seen him since earlier in the year. I don’t know any of his abilities or anything. My information would be useless.”

                Realizing she had a point, he stepped down, seething with anger.

                “Where’s Paku?” asked Franklin.

                “She left to meet the chain user,” answered Feitan.

                Why did Kurapika request Pakunoda specifically to meet him? Was it because of her ability? But if that was the case then that didn’t made sense. She could share her knowledge with everyone in this room. Why her? Her questions were answered when the woman came back. There was something inside her that wasn’t hers. It kinda looked like a chain wrapped around something. What had he done to her? Phinks asked what happened while she was gone.

                “He gave me conditions to follow: The Boss can’t use his nen nor can he communicate with any troupe member. He requested that we release the boys uninjured before midnight tonight without any deceptions.” Pakunoda replied.

                “Does he really expect us to simply accept those conditions?” Phinks said. Siouxsie thought the same. Who did he think that he was talking to? Random street thugs? “Tell us where he is Paku. We’ll kill the kids and go deal with the chain user.”

                Machi, who was against not following the orders that they were given, questioned Phinks but the man did’t seem to care, telling them that Pakunoda couldn’t leave if she didn’t. Pakunoda refused to tell him anything and told him that nothing he said was going to prevent her from taking them. She mentioned that Kurapika had also extended the rescue mission to Siouxsie if she felt inclined to come with and warned them not to interfere.

                “Screw that! If anyone’s interfering it’s _you_!” yelled Phinks.

                “Go ahead Pakunoda. We can stop this don’t worry,” Machi defended.

                This wasn’t good. Everyone was getting riled up and using Ren in preparation to fight. Everyone was going to kill eachother, especially Feitan who was threatening torture to get Pakunoda to talk about Kurapika.

                 “You really don’t get it?” Gon exclaimed suddenly, “You don’t understand why Pakunoda wants to leave without telling you anything? And you don’t understand why Machi would want to stop you? You think it’s because they’re being manipulated?! It’s because they want to rescue your boss! What else would it be?! They want to save their friend from danger! Don’t you understand it?!”

                “Shut up pipsqueak! You’re just desperate to leave!” Phinks yelled back.

                Gon broke free of his chains and stood. Siouxsie had a feeling from the start that he could have done that at any time. The kid didn’t want to put a knife in Kurapika’s plans and let himself be restrained by the chains.

                “I’m not saying it just it save myself! Take it back!” Oh he was angry.

                Killua sighed and also broke his restraints. Both he and Siouxsie were on the defensive in case anything happened. Hisoka had also stopped playing with their cards in favor of listening.

                “Take it back? Come over here and make me. I’ll rip your head off the second you take a step.”

                “Then I won’t! You think I’m that stupid? Kurapika isn’t like you! No matter how much he hates someone he would never lose control and kill them out of anger! He’s not a murderer! And you’d better believe that if Kurapika makes a promise then he’s gonna keep his word no matter what happens! Doubt me? Ask Pakunoda! She’s met him! She knows! If you just do as he says then he _will_ return your boss!”

                “Alright kid that’s enough! I’m starting to get real sick of your _crap_!”

                This could get ugly. Gon was only making Phinks’ sour mood worse with each word that he said. Siouxsie was on the fence about stepping in since any action on her part could just spur his anger even more. Thankfully, Franklin managed to calm the man down if only a little bit just as a phone rang in Phink’s pocket.

                “Hello-“ he was cut off.

                 He threw the phone at Gon as Shalnark pleaded not to break it with their roughhousing.

                “Yeah, they’re all right here,” and threw it back, much to Shalnark’s dismay.

                “Look we’re following your orders.”

                Siouxsie let out a breath. He was stepping down. Finally. Pakunoda was able to leave with Gon and Killua. They had asked if she wanted to come but she chose to stay.

                “As long as they’re ok I’ll be fine besides, I don’t think that I can face Chrollo right now,” she told them with a saddened smile. Killua and Gon looked at her with uncertainty but she waved them off, “Stop getting yourselves into trouble ok boys?”

                Pakunoda took them out of the hideout and Siouxsie let out a relieved breath. Now that they were out she felt like all of life’s stresses were gone from her shoulders. All of the remaining Troupe members sat around with her and Hisoka towards the outskirts. Speaking of the man, he had been awfully quiet lately. Looking up and slightly behind her, she was thrown off by his aura. That wasn’t Hisoka. Instead it reminded her of…

                “Illumi?” she whispered quietly, making sure that no one else heard her.

                He sat up straight and momentarily stopped his movements before continuing. Ok so the person that’s here _isn’t_ Hisoka… but if that’s the case, where was the real one? That didn’t matter right now. Even though Siouxsie was technically free to go, she got the feeling that should she try to leave, at least one of them would try something. She needed to get out.

                A slight flare of Ren from behind her caught her attention. Gazing back once again, the body jerked in a motion that meant ‘follow me’. Siouxsie peeked towards the group to make sure that they weren’t being watched before following him around a large pile of rocks. They had managed to sneak out of hideout and once they were a decent distance away, Illumi rid himself of his disguise, relaxing his aura. Before he could even get a word out, Siouxsie wrapped her arms around his thin frame and tightly hugged him, thankful that he had been there to get her out. To be completely honest, she felt as if she had enough excitement for today and just wanted to go home.

               


	25. XXV – It’s Time x For x The Auction

         

                Siouxsie awoke to the sound of music playing somewhere nearby. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, it took her a moment to realize that the source was her phone. Picking it up, it informed her that the caller was Killua.

                “Hello?” she greeted, still half asleep.

                Upon hearing her voice, the boy was in an instant panic, asking if she was ok since she didn’t leave with them yesterday and he was worried all night. She lightly chuckled at his behavior, assuring him that she was absolutely ok. She turned to gaze over at Illumi whose arm was wrapped tightly around her. His aura was nearly stagnant, only moving when he breathed. He was still asleep. Telling Killua to hold on a moment, she placed her phone back on the nightstand and tried to remove herself from the grip of her fiancé but, of course, his grip was strong.

                “No, I’m comfy. Stay,” Illumi whined, pulling her closer.

                “Illumi, I want to get out of bed,” she struggled, “Let go you goof!”

                It took a bit more struggling for him to finally relent and let her go. She grabbed her phone and stepped out of the room to continue the conversation.

                “Sorry about that,” she apologized, “You mentioned Kurapika earlier, how is he doing?”

                “He has a fever and is on bed rest until he’s better. It seems he pushed himself too hard these past few days.”

                She offered her services since her Dragon’s Breath could help relieve some of his symptoms but he declined. There was a chance that he was possibly being hunted right now and Gon doesn’t want him to get better just yet. Leorio was currently taking care of him and since he’s there, everyone’s sure that Kurapika will be fine.

                “Oh, right! Are you ready for the auction today?” he asked.

                “The auction? Crap! Sorry I completely forgot that I promised to go with you guys!”

                “Don’t worry its ok. It doesn’t start for a couple more hours and Gon and I still need to get our tuxedos. You should join us!” he offered.

                Killua told her where to meet them before hanging up. Siouxsie walked back into the room and walked over to the still sleeping Illumi. She sat on the edge of the bed and called out to him, reaching out to touch his shoulder. Bad idea. Her fingers had barely touched him before the man moved and placed a needle to her throat.

                “Really?” she sighed, “Didn’t I ask you to keep those away from the bed last night?”

                “I feel antsy when I don’t have a way to defend myself while I sleep,” he justified, the sound of sleep returning to his voice with each word.

                “No one’s going to –“ she stopped, “Forget it. Anyway, I promised Killua that I’d go to the auction with him. It’s only for today and tomorrow. Is that alright?”

                “Yeah. That’s fine,” he approved, sitting up further to stretch his muscles, “But after that we’re going home.”

                Siouxsie smiled.

                “Ok!”

 

                After getting dressed, Illumi had decided to walk her most of the way to where they were to meet, stopping for a quick, handheld breakfast before going off to do… whatever he did during his free time.

                “SiouSiou!” she heard mere moments before being tackled into a hug.

                “Hey boys,” she chuckled.

                “Killua and I found a place that had some window displays and Killua said that one of them would look good on you Siouxsie!” Gon told.

                “Wha-? I did not!”

                “But you did!”

                Siouxsie laughed at the boys’ antics as the Zoldyck tried to deny any claims that the other said. They were so adorable.

                “That reminds me,” Killua brought up, “Did you know that you have a bounty on your head?”

                “I have a what on my what now?” she asked, confused.

                “Oh yeah! A while ago, Killua and I were looking through the bounty logs in order to make some money for the auction. You were listed as highly dangerous.”

                “Hmm… I wonder why. I don’t recall ever doing anything that bad.”

                “Well, even if you did, it’s super old so I doubt that it’s mostly forgotten by now by whoever put it out,” Killua dismissed.

                It’s possible that she was listed due to her association with the Phantom Troupe but no one should really know that she was. Her tattoo was numberless. Could it have something to do with her familial ties to the mafia?

                They arrived at the store that Gon mentioned a few blocks later. She looked at the few dresses in the window. They were awfully elegant and would probably put a massive dent in her savings from the arena. A bell on the door jingled at their entrance, gaining the attention of the tailor who was working on a suit.

                “Ah, welcome back to The Glass Slipper boys!” they greeted, “I actually just finished your tuxes not long ago! Come with me so I can make sure that they fit right.”

                “Before we go, where’s that gold dress that was in the window the other day?” asked Killua.

                “Gold dress? Hmmm… I believe that I put it in the back. I’ll look for it while you’re getting dressed.”

                They followed the tailor to the back room, the fitting area. They gave the boys their respective tuxes and shooed them into the fitting rooms.

                “I’m assuming that the dress is for you, no?” she nodded her head, “What size are you?”

                She had absolutely no idea. The tailor chuckled at her reply and pulled the measuring tape from his neck. After some measurements, they nodded to themselves and walked away. She could hear the boys occasionally get out a disgruntled noise as they struggled with their clothing. The tailor came back a moment after with a long dress bag and ushered her into the last fitting room. Hanging it on a hanger, Siouxsie unzipped it bag and nearly gasped. The boys were right. The dress was stunning. The tule off-shoulder straps, the sweetheart neck, the leaf accents that littered the top but slowly dissipated the further down it went on the tule after her hips. Siouxsie’s not sure what color ‘gold’ was but she was certain that it was gorgeous. Putting it on, she discovered that it was fitted until her mid-thigh before falling gracefully to the floor. It… actually was a perfect fit…it hid the fact that she was wearing sandals, and she loved it. Siouxsie was met with gasps as she stepped out of the room.

                “Wow! You look amazing!” Gon exclaimed.

                “Really? Thank you,” she smiled as she rubbed her arm.

                “I knew that you’d look great in it,” Killua said confidently, arms behind his head.

                The tailor also gave a thumbs up, approving of the look before asking the boys how the suits fit. They also looked amazing in their tuxedoes. Still cute as hell though.

                “So… how much is this?” she asked.

                “Well, I _just_ put in in the back since it’s off season… but it _is_ designer…” they thought, most likely figuring out the new price, “It was originally 2,000 Jenny but now I guess it would be closer to 1,500? Yeah, that seems about right.”

                Only 1,500 Jenny? That amount was nothing! She thought it would cost much more than that. With all of the clothes paid for and her hair styled rather elegantly, the three made their way to the auction house.

                “Mr. Zepile!” Gon called to the man waiting outside.

                “Hey guys!” he greeted, “And might I say that you look stunning Siouxsie.”

                “Don’t get any ideas mister,” warned Killua.

                The man sputtered at the boy’s comment, causing her to chuckle.

                “I didn’t know that you were joining us Zepile,” she changed the subject.

“Yep, as their friend and financial advisor I figured that I’d come along,” he replied, rubbing the back of his head “Now come on, let’s go inside.”

                The four of them entered the building. Gon and Killua received a carnation boutonniere with their bidder numbers. There were so many people inside! She’s never seen so many bodies in one location. Gon informed that the auction was being held in Hall B and that they were going to go scout out their seats, leaving her with Zepile.

                “So what exactly are those two looking for here?” asked Siouxsie.

                She had completely forgotten to ask the boys. Apparently Gon’s father had left him a memory card to the video game known as Greed Island. That game is being sold at the auction today and tomorrow and Gon thinks it may be a clue to find him. There was also a man here planning on buying the consoles and hiring players to clear the game for him. They were there to keep an eye out and hopefully get him to hire the boys to go in. Interesting plot. Gon and Killua came back just before their target, Mr. Battera, walked by with his bodyguards and the newscast following him. People were also starting to file in, it would be best if they followed suit. And she thought that the lobby had a lot of people! There were rows upon rows of people in chairs, multiple floors, and columns at the bottom of the stairs too. She looked down towards the stage. A curtain was closed a few meters after the stage started. There were a ton more seats on the ground and a chandelier above them. Siouxsie’s glad that she accompanied them. The view alone was worth it.

                It wasn’t too much longer after they had gotten seated that a woman with two large buns and a poofy dress walked onto stage announcing that the auction was starting. The auctioneer had displayed and sold a few vases, artifacts, and other items before finally getting to what they had all been waiting for.

                “Our next item is the fabled game known as Greed Island!” the crowd grew noisy. All that was displayed was a small console. There weren’t even controllers. The ground started to shake. It wasn’t as noticeable at first but it grew in intensity. Almost like footsteps, “ _and_ it has a mysterious power! Let’s take a look!”

                A massive, muscly man walked out with a large hammer and swung it down on the console. Dust surrounded the area but when it cleared, the console was fine but the pedestal that it was on wasn’t so lucky. It was smashed to pieces. It was difficult to see since they were sitting so far away but iIf she looked heard enough, there was a bit of aura surrounding the console. So it was a nen-based item huh? That would explain the lack of controllers. So if you didn’t know how to use nen, the console was practically worthless. Interesting. 

                “Now as I’m sure all of you can plainly see a mysterious power protects the console from any damage! Well as long as someone is playing inside the game that is!” she snapped her finger, presumably showing something on the screen behind her, “this man is Jeitsari. He’s the player who is inside the game even as we speak. As a matter of fact, he’s the one who signed the contract allowing us to auction it off!” another man brought out a fresh pedestal as she opened a small book, “Jestari left behind the following contract that stipulates if no one has cleared the game by the contract’s date, even if he and the seven other players are still inside the game he would consign all seven units of the game as well as the consoles to the Southernpiece auction and entrust his dream of clearing the game to other challengers. Unfortunately when we received these units, the game had ended for two players,” Unfortunately? “Losing the game results in actual death for a player. This dangerous game requires that you risk your own life. Only bid if you’re prepared for the consequences!”

                That game was becoming more and more intriguing as she spoke about it. So it’s nen-based, you go _“into”_ the game, and if you die in there you’re actually dead. She wouldn’t mind playing herself. The auctioneer started the bid at 900 million Jenny and the crowd erupted into various bids. At one point Gon had put up his thumb as he asked Zepile what the sign meant, doubling the bet to 24 million. Oh geez. Thankfully their target ended up winning it for 30.5 million.

                With the auction over, Gon and Killua went to offer their services. They weren’t even gone long before they returned, Gon pissed and exclaiming that they were treated like dirt. His Ren was flaring in anger.

                “Gon, it would be best if you calmed down. You don’t want to attract unwanted attention,” she advised.

                He took a deep breath and agreed.

                “Why don’t we all get something to eat? I’m sure food will make you feel better.”

                “Can’t say no to that!”

 

 

 


	26. Extra Stuff That Didn't Make It In

So, I was going to add the Greed Island Arc but I wanted to finish the story before November ended. Basically it was going to be a means to restore Siouxsie’s vision. It'll be written when I revise it.

I've been working on it but school, work, and a general lack of motivation has kept me on the 3rd chapter for about a month now. I'll try to continue to work on it since I don't like leaving things half-finished. Keep an eye out on the "#/?" counter!

 

Here’s the rundown for however many chapters it may have been (as in it's subject to change because I wrote this off of memory of the show):

 

                At the end of the 1st auction that Killua and Gon attended, Siouxsie parted ways with the boys to meet up with Illumi, Phinks and Feitan confronted her and forced her to be a guinea pig for Greed Island. She didn’t really have a choice since they were stronger than she was and demanded that they let her go back to her hotel room to change out of the dress (they did) before they forced her in. Eeta gives her the rundown of the game and Siouxsie asks if she’ll be able to play just as easily because of her handicap. Eeta tells her that the cards are made of nen so she should be able to read what they do however the book itself won’t be as easy. She grants her a special item (an ear piece) that reads what her book says if she says ‘read on’.

                When she first arrives in the plains, she waits by the entrance point for over an hour before realizing that they weren’t coming in (they would, just later) and stormed off, hoping to find some people. Some dude had come over to talk to her but made the mistake of calling her by her name even though she never introduced herself. They cover it up by claiming that while they did use a spell they 'realized that she was new and wanted to help' but then immediately tricked her and casted a tracking spell on her. Siouxsie doesn't like being tricked and threatened to kill him on the spot, the only reason not going through was the thought of removing blood from her clothes. Thankfully he takes the threat and retreats. 

                She figures out fairly quickly that Greed Island isn’t a game, it’s an actual location because of the fact that if it was a game for nen users, the place would be full of it, interfering with her Echo. Somehow the game teleports you to the game locale. Her phone is also useless since there’s no service and their location is not mapped.

 

                In Antokiba, still pissed off btw, runs into one of the bombers, nearly breaks their wrist when she catches them in the act. Siouxsie meets someone who is actually a nice person and gives her a quick rundown of the game and after a bit of talking asks if she's here for the Angel's Breath card (of course she has to explain what it does since Siouxsie has no idea what she's talking about). Her goal from there goes from getting out, to obtaining that card. The person agrees to help her collect them in exchange for any specified slot cards that she may come across (this is advantageous since gets a leave card much quicker than she would've gotten on her own [it's still fairly late into the game but she literally recieves her  _own_   leave card  _way_  later. And I mean  _way_  later, like shortly before Killua leaves for the Hunter Exam because she just had  _that_  kind of luck] allowing her to temporarily leave the game. She wanted to surprise him if the Angel's Breath card worked but also not get his hopes up if it failed however she knew that Illumi wouldn't be happy if she told him that she decided to stay. Siouxsie sent him a bunch of texts, acting as if they were sent at different times as just happened to send at some point.

                Kinda like 'Hey Illumi, I just wanted to let you know that I'm ok so don't worry. Phinks and Feitan left me at the starting gate and never showed up so I have to find my way out. It shouldn't be too hard.' 'Oh wait, my phone just told me that there's no service... I'll text you anyway. Maybe I'll get lucky and these will send.' 'But anyway, just do... whatever I guess... just don't wait around for me! I'll let you know when I'm out ok?' and a few others like that to make it seem like they were written over a few days before heading back in.

 

                Siouxsie _does_ run into Hisoka at some point and she’s like ‘what are you doing here?’ ‘I heard that there was an exorcist that can remove curses. I’m hoping to find him so they can remove the one placed on Chrollo’. 

                One of the cards that the friendly person wants is a prize in one of the Antokiba monthly tournaments that involves dancing and you can bet that Siouxsie drags Hisoka over to be her dance partner. They win, obviously. 

 

                When Biscuit, Gon, Killua, and Goreinu run into Hisoka, she’s in Masadora trying to obtain two more cards, one of them is a second ‘Leave’ card. They were supposed to meet at a rendezvous point after a few days but since Hisoka was preoccupied with Razor, he never showed up. Siouxsie reluctantly used a magnetic force and immediately chewed Hisoka out when she arrived in the castle. Tsezguerra is reasonably upset when he finds out that Hisoka knew of another competent player in the game but chose to keep her out of it.

 

Here’s some diaglog!

 

                “I don’t want to make enemies of acquaintances,” Hisoka would have answered.

                He must have been referring to Illumi and Chrollo. Illumi would certainly flip if she got badly injured but she's not too sure how the latter would react. Siouxsie sighed at the thought but something caught her 'eyes'. Killua's aura was misshapen. 

              “What happened to your hands?”

                The boys stiffened in nervousness, Killua tried to hide his hands behind his back but she was quicker, carefully grabbing them and looking at the bandages covering his limbs.

                “Wha… Killua this is awful! What on earth did the two of you do?!”

                Gon explained how he used Killua as a ball holder so he could hit it, unfortunately if Killua used his aura to protect his hands it would’ve dampened the strength of Gon’s attack.

                She tried to use Dragon’s breath on his hands but nothing really worked. Gon’s injuries were more manageable, almost completely healing. When Hisoka starts to leave she says her goodbyes and runs after him.

                Later on when the bombers are staking out the card shop in Masadora, they try to ambush her but after they get her into the forest, she freaking loses it since she's tired of that constant target that they put on her. On the upside, that trip to the card shop gave her the two cards (and the magnetic force that she had to use) and she traded them in for an Angel’s Breath. She has the boys and Biscuit (or Hisoka, haven’t worked that out yet) be with her when she used the card and nearly cries when she can actually _see_. She stays with whoever is with her for a little bit (maybe even goes to the other too) before leaving the game, heading not to Yorknew but to Silvervale to meet up with Gueka since she promised that she would come back. She texts Illumi to meet her there before spending the day with one of her childhood friends/cousin-in-law. Since she’s now unable to use Echo properly, she doesn’t recognize anything or anyone at first. She may have did the face-feel thing but there’s a chance that it will not look _exactly_ like someone and colors on buildings have a slight distorting effect when you're used to black and white spotty images.

 

 

                There was actually a chapter after the auction (or before, I can't remember) where she got to talk to Kurapika before he left Yorknew but it wouldn’t fit if I went the Greed Island route unfortunately. Maybe I’ll add it as an extra chapter towards the end

 

 

 


	27. XXVI – Let’s x Go x Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I start to burn out trying to balance this with school. Can you tell?

                Siouxsie and Illumi had departed on an airship to Padokea not long after she returned from Greed Island. Her eyes were glued on the landscape down below, amazed at how high that they were flying. It truly was a shame that she missed out on so many other sights, especially during the exams. Finally looking away and at her fiancé, she noticed the almost wistful look on his features. They had been talking not long ago about what to expect once they return to the manor and she noticed something about the way that he spoke.

                “You know, Illumi,” she called out to the man, reading a book, “I’ve noticed that when you’re around family you say ‘mom’ but when you’re with me you call her ‘mother’, almost coldly…”

                “That’s because… I detest her. As a Zoldyck I understand what was required of me from a young age in regards to training and tolerance but some of the things that she would do to me as a child was rather excessive,” he paused, eyes still trained on the scenery, “I remember when you had visited the day after my training. You had questioned as to why I was covered in so many cuts and bruises and how ill I looked from that week’s poison of choice. You were appalled when I told you. You told me that a parent shouldn’t try to kill their own child, questioning if she even loved me or if I loved her. My mother claims to love me but I only know that it’s because I survived and met her expectations. There have been countless siblings that have not made it past 1 or 2 years old and she disposed of them like that were nothing. At that point, I was questioning whether or not I actually did and that was when I realized, no, I don’t. I do not love her. Nor my father who only came out to beat me unconscious as ‘training’. Grandpa Zeno was really the only one who ever showed me any type of compassion.”

                “Have you ever told them how you felt?”

                “Mmm,” he finally diverted his gaze to look at her, “I was locked in a dark room for 2 weeks.”

                “What? That’s awful!”

                “It wasn’t uncommon for me to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishments. At that age I was still afraid of the dark. Those two weeks felt like years,” he said, “The Zoldycks who aren’t the heir are moved to houses on the mountain if they haven’t found somewhere else to live. That’s why… once we’re married and out of the manor, I want as little contact with my parents as possible. We could leave the continent for all I care.”

                “I had no idea that you felt so strongly about your family. Though I suppose that it’s only natural given how they treated you,” she held his hand, “But don’t worry, I want our children to live normal lives. I don’t want to force them to do anything they don’t want to.”

                Illumi’s eyes tinged with something, what exactly, she’s not certain. It was going to be a journey learning how to read him without his aura. He reached up with his free hand and cradled the side of her face, thumb tracing her bottom lip.

                “I can’t wait to marry you,” he said lowly.

                “Want me to bear your name that badly huh?” she chuckled.

                “That too, yes,” he replied, brushing his lips on hers.

                If only it was that easy.

 

 

                While they were making their way to Kukuroo, Illumi reminded her that since she told Gotoh that she was leaving to train, Kikyo would definitely have them fight each other to see her progress. Especially since it’s been so long since she’d last seen them spar. He told her that he wasn’t going to be able to hold back and neither should she. She has to last long enough to satisfy Kikyo or get him in a position where he cannot escape. His suggestion, actually try to kill him. If she couldn’t hold her own then Kikyo wouldn’t allow the wedding to go through. Though even if she did that he wouldn’t hesitate to leave with her and never go back. To be honest he was only going home instead of just leaving because for one, if his parents think that he did because of her they would probably put yet another bounty on her head and triple the pay, and two, if something were to happen and he needed their help, they’d be more willing to lend a hand. Siouxsie sighed. Why did she even tell Gotoh anything? At least she had her opponent around for sparring.

                The rides towards the mountain was just as amazing as the airship. She had no idea that the mountain itself was a large volcano! The sharp contrast between the trees and the dead areas of the mountain was breathtaking. Having sight was a privilege and she hoped that she never lost it again.

                “Welcome back Master Illumi… _Siouxsie_?!” called Zebro from his office, “Your scar!”

                Oh right. The lack of her scar is going to raise a lot of questions. She was not prepared to repeatedly explain her story. She vaguely explained what happened on Greed Island since the chance of him hearing about the game was a bit on the low side. Getting the gist of what she was saying, he congratulated her on her acquired sight and asked if she was staying this time.

                “Yep! I think I got enough training to open those three doors,” she said confidently, referring to her goal.

                “Well if you think that you can do it, go ahead!” he chuckled.

                Siouxsie nodded her head, excited to see how many doors she can open this time. She walked up to the gate, preparing her Ren. As soon as her hands made contact with the doors she put all of her strength into it and used her Ren to amplify that power. The doors swung open so fast that she had lost her footing and fell over.

                “Well I’ll be damned,” she heard.

                Standing back up to look at the gate, she gasped, eyes wide. Three and a half! A new record and now the next goal to beat! Illumi pat her head, a silent ‘well done’ that had her cheeks redden at the affection. That, unfortunately, was only the easy part. As soon as Kikyo spotted her, she immediately shooed her son away and bombarded her with questions. How did training go? How many doors did she open? Where’s her scar? Oh you can see now? How’s her nen? Is it deadly? How good are you at household duties like cooking and cleaning? Finally, after a whirlwind of questions, she decided that her match with Illumi would be tomorrow morning. Should Siouxsie meet her expectations, then she can start talking lessons from the housekeepers. Illumi wasn’t kidding when she said that his family was old fashioned. But tomorrow? That was such short notice. Kikyo told her that dinner would be ready within the hour and that she was free to do whatever she wished until then before leaving.

                Siouxsie sighed once she was out of earshot before making her way to Illumi’s most likely location, his bedroom. She plopped face first onto his bed once she reached her destination.

                “What did she say?” he asked, sitting down beside her.

                “She wants us to fight each other tomorrow morning,” her voice was muffled by the blanket.

                “Are you nervous?”

                She turned her head and looked at him.

                “Sort of? I mean, it will be great to fight someone strong but it’s just so sudden.  I’m still getting used to being able to see again…”

                Siouxsie paused at the thought. Happy to fight a strong opponent? Maybe Hisoka had rubbed off on her a little _too_ much.

                “You opened three and a half doors at the testing gate. I’m sure you’ll do fine,” he encouraged.

                She hummed at his words.

                “But what if I black out again?”

                “You won’t.”

                She turned her head to get a better look at him.

                “Your last incident wasn’t that long ago and the one before that was during the exams. I assume that you still have quite some time left before you slip,” he explained.

                Illumi grabbed her hand and rubbed circles onto the back of it.

                “But even if you did, I’m sure that a performance that that would guarantee an approval and I’d be able to incapacitate you before you do any serious harm.”

                The room filled with a comfortable silence. The rhythmic motions from her fiancé was soothing, slowly lulling her to sleep. Siouxsie didn’t realize how tired that she was until she was already under.

 

 

 


	28. XXVII – Fight x For x Your Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which it is entirely too text heavy

 

                Siouxsie had been on edge the entire morning, contemplating how to go about her match today. She had convinced him last night to go outside and have a quick match to get a feel for how he thinks. What she understood from that was that both of them can adapt very quickly to their opponent’s fighting style combat and he was much stronger _and_ more cunning than she was, effortlessly switching between defensive, his primary method, and offensive. The fact that she no longer had to use Echo also meant that she was a little stronger than she was before, giving her that extra edge. It was going to be tough match but if she played her cards correctly, she may even have some fun. The housekeepers had served them a light breakfast, ensuring that they wouldn’t be weighed down with heavy foods but had enough energy to fight.

                All too quickly the time to battle had snuck up on her. A butler knocked on the door to the room that she had stayed in that night. Kikyo didn’t want them together just in case she failed. The butler announced that it was time to make their way over to the venue. Tightening the bandages around her hands and wrists (don’t want to sprain anything), she walked out of the room. She asked the butler who would be present. Thankfully it was only the family and head butler. With so little people watching, it soothed her nerves only slightly. The two walked a long ways away from the manor and any other building, fitting since her nen was quite destructive. They eventually arrived at a large field riddled with battle scars. Illumi arrived on the other side about 100 meters away and the rest of the Zoldycks (and Gotoh) were sat at a table quite the distance away with a pane of glass between them and the field. The butler instructed that they could start at any time and left the area. Siouxsie looked across the field at her fiancé. All was quiet as she mentally prepared herself. This may be the toughest fight that she will ever have. There was a lot riding on this.

                Siouxsie knew that Illumi wouldn’t make the first move. The terrain was uneven, meaning that she had to also remain focused on the ground in order to prevent herself from tripping, Illumi, and his weapons. Taking a deep breath, she rushed forward on full offensive. She needed to get him to attack. If he was on the offense then she might be able to catch him off guard. It was risky since his form was absolutely perfect but it was worth a try. In a battle like this, nen was going to be her best friend. Just before she reached his location she covered herself in fire and activated her Dragon Blitz ability, rushing forward like a bullet. Siouxsie threw a punch, expecting Illumi to dodge, which he did. She changed her direction and jumped into the air, quickly using Nimble to propel herself off of the air and toward his location. He dodged her attack again, her foot leaving a small crater in the ground. She didn’t waste a second and propelled herself forward again and again, each time he dodged expertly leaving holes in the floor. On her last attack, Siouxsie aimed for his gut, assuming that he would jump back to dodge. When he did she pushed forward and aimed a kick for his torso. What she didn’t expect was for him to grasp her ankle. Momentarily surprised, she jumped up in another attempt at an attack, this time aimed for the head. He effortlessly caught it again, holding her upside down. Hands on the ground she twisted her body around, pulling with all of her might out of his grasp and kicked him under the chin as she back flipped away. She had barely gotten to her feet when something flew past her face, cutting her cheek. Siouxsie inwardly cheered but allowed a smirk to slip onto her lips. Illumi was on the offensive. The only problem was that now he was barreling towards her with his needles at the ready. She had just pulled her knives from her holsters when she noticed two more needles, deflecting them just before they reached her. He anticipated that move and was on her before she could utter a ‘meep’ and delivered a harsh kick. She barely even had time to block it. He followed up with a second, higher kick. Siouxsie ducked and swung her knives at his exposed side. Illumi grabbed her wrist and effortless flipped her onto her back, knocking the air out of her and making her release her hold on her knives. Unfortunately she didn’t have the luxury to lay there. She quickly rolled to her side and used the momentum to push herself up and in the air with emission just before dodging yet another attack. Still off the ground, Siouxsie knocked his arm down with one foot, turning her body for a kick to the head. Illumi ducked, kicking her down before she reached the ground. Thankfully she still landed on her feet and jumped a sizeable distance away. He didn’t move from where he stood, allowing her to catch her breath. She’s surprised that she even managed that attack given her state.

                Siouxsie cringed at the metallic taste of blood and spit onto the ground. He must have split her lip during his last move. She took a moment to move her neck around and shake her arms, wincing when one of them hurt to move. That was either broken or fractured. She knew from the get-go that she wasn’t going to leave this unmarred. Illumi was back on the defensive. She wasn’t planning on forcing him out of it, instead, perhaps she could get him to switch between the two if she left herself open enough. That plan, however, was much more risky than the previous plan. Making her fire stronger, it was time for round 2.

                Getting low to the ground, she touched the grass with her fingertips and used Nimble as a foothold. What she was about to do was dangerous. There was a risk of tearing muscles and breaking bones upon impact with something but she _had_ to do this. Siouxsie pushed with all of her might off of her foothold and whenever she stepped forward, she repeated the process until she was going so fast that it was hard for anyone to make her out. She aimed a punch for his face and was surprised when it connected but Illumi quickly grabbed her arm and moved to elbow her in the head. With all of that forward momentum she was quicker, twisting her arm in order to jump behind him and kick him. His grip loosened and he counterattacked with his needles in his fist, swiping at her. The pointed ends caught the skin on her torso, digging deeper as he moved. Ignoring the pain she pushed back, removing the needles and rushed forward again, releasing a barrage of punches that he managed to block or dodge. She winced but continued. She could feel the strain in her arms increasing with each passing second. Come on Illumi! Counter! Her wish was granted when he once again grabbed both of her arms in quick succession and moved his head back for a head-butt. Siouxsie wasted no time and leaned back, using his body was a platform to run on and kneed him in the chin. He wasn’t falling for it this time. Tightening his grip and slamming her to the floor face first. His foot slammed on her back, applying so much pressure that she was certain that her spine would break.

                “Are you done?” he asked, a slightly worried tone present.

                He didn’t sound the least bit winded.

                “Not by a long shot!” she replied.

                Siouxsie placed her hands on the ground and prayed that she had enough strength to do what she needed. She focused her nen under her palms and propelled herself into the air. It wasn’t as high as she’d like, she was running out of time. Her eyes scanned the ground for her weapons. They were a bit of ways away. As her feet hit the floor, her brain hatched a plan. She just hoped that it worked. She’d have to work fast. Illumi was back on the offensive, throwing his pins as he rapidly approached. Using In, Siouxsie started to work on filling a bubble of nen with inactivated fire as she dodged his pins acrobatically. Each land onto the ground felt like she weighed a thousand pounds. Illumi was upon her once again, but she didn’t have the energy to jump away again. She had no choice. Moving close to him, she expanded her Ten with fire and used Self-Destruct, barely using Ren in time and sustaining damage herself. With the smoke screen present, she mustered up the strength to run a sizable distance away.

                _‘Where the hell are my knives?’_ she thought frantically. A glint in the grass caught her attention, _‘Crap! I passed it!’_

                This was it, it was all or nothing. Right as Illumi went to run forward again, she released a barrage of rather weak Phoenix Shots while she continued to feed the most potent one. It wasn’t until he pushed past the ones that she was throwing that she released the larger one. The explosion that it created was massive, allowing her to quickly rush forward, grab her knives off of the floor, and press the blades against his neck, one in front and one in back. There was no escape from that.

                “I win,” heaved Siouxsie.

                “You’ve certainly gotten stronger,” she heard him praise quietly, “I’m proud of you.”

                The smoke dissipated, allowing the rest of the Zoldycks (and Gotoh) to see the predicament that their son had gotten into. The sound of clapping made her lower her arms. When had Kikyo and Silva gotten so close?

                “That was wonderful Siouxsie! I was just about to stop the match since you had proven yourself quite well but the fact that you managed to get Illumi into that kind of situation was marvelous!” she exclaimed.

                “Does that mean that the wedding will go through?” asked Siouxsie.

                The two nodded their heads. And at that moment, the adrenaline in her body dropped and she crashed to the ground.

                “Are you alright?” asked Silva.

                No! She wanted to yell. Everything hurts! I can’t feel my body! I’m bleeding everywhere! Send help! Somehow, she managed to lift an arm and gave a thumbs up.

                “I’ve never been better,” she rasped.

                “Great! Let us return to the manor for lunch!” she said happily, turning to head back to the rest of her family.

                Silva gave her once last glance before following his wife. There was no way that she was getting back up. Illumi kneeled down next to her and pushed some of her sweat drenched hair from her forehead.

                “Are you alright?” he asked again.

                “It hurts to move,” she replied weakly.

                “Would you like me to carry you back?”

                “Please.”

                Siouxsie complained the entire time that he tried to put her on his back as gently as he could. She definitely overdid it. But it was worth it in the long run. She tried her hardest to stay conscious on the trip back but the fatigue was stronger, quickly pulling her into the sweet comfort of sleep.

 

 


	29. XXVIII – Time x For x The Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Assuming that the weddings are Shinto-based given Kikyo’s name origin and the fact that she does wear kimonos

 

                The amount of spoiling and cuddling that Siouxsie received during her recovery from Illumi was astounding. To be honest, he probably felt guilty about all of her injuries. A broken arm, a few cracked ribs, and some minor cuts were all that he was responsible for. Everything else, including a crap ton of torn muscles and broken fingers, was her fault. And most of those injuries had been partially or fully healed (minus the broken bones) with Dragon’s Breath but that didn’t stop him from showering her with affection. Not that she minded.

                Kikyo, on the other hand, didn’t really care that Siouxsie was struggling to walk and started the marriage process. She had been attending, as Kikyo called it, ‘wifely classes’ as of late. Everything from etiquette to cooking and cleaning was taught during her sessions. She always returned completely drained and in more pain than when she left. It took Illumi taking her out of the manor and somewhere on the estate in order for her to have days of rest. She was always grateful when they left for the day. Sometimes they even completely left the mountain since Illumi just wanted to get as far away as possible. All of that strain eventually led to her growing ill, isolating herself in a spare bedroom for a few weeks until she felt like a living being again.

                It was a few months later when the wedding started. Kinyo had kept them separated for an entire week, going over how it was going to proceed. There wasn’t a lot to it but that didn’t mean that she didn’t make mistakes, forcing her to start all over again. Siouxsie was grateful that she was finally getting married, freeing her from the clutches of her soon to be mother-in-law. The actual wedding was to be held at a shrine within the confines of Kukuroo Mountain. As happy was she was, she absolutely hated the preparations needed for it. The butlers in charge of getting her ready had caked what felt like an entire makeup palate on her face and put so many products into her hair in order for it to have the traditional loops and folds that if she knocked on it, it would make a noise. A large headband-like cloth was wrapped around her head and hair before decorative combs and ornaments were delicately shoved into specific parts of her hair. It was going to take forever to get her hair to be normal again. Next was the kimono, or the shiromoku, which wasn’t much. It was a normal white kimono under a thick, heavy robe-like uchikake. And when she says heavy, she means _heavy_. When it was first put on her she felt like she weighed 50 pounds heavier. What the heck was in that thing? Lead? Once it was on and secured a folding fan called a sensu was placed into her hand, a futokoro-gatana and hakosenko were placed on the uchikake, and zori on her feet. Kikyo squealed at how cute she looked and she agreed but honestly, Siouxsie felt massive and dirty, unused to wearing so much makeup and hair products.

                Leaving the manor, the women met up with the men, who were waiting outside. Siouxsie glanced over at Ilumi. He was dressed in the traditional montsuki and his hair was styled in a modified topknot, his hair much too long to be in a normal. Greeting him with a light bow, everyone began to walk to the shrine behind the priest, shrine maidens, and a few people playing music. She was surprised that those people were also relatives, their lines diluted of Zoldyck blood . Siouxsie and Illumi sat down in front of a table next to the shrine alter inside while everyone else was sat in the back. The priest held a stick with folded papers attached to it and started to purify the area before ending in a prayer and celebration for new life.

                The shrine maidens brought out three stacked ceremonial cups and poured sake into the first cup before handing it to Illumi to drink it in three sips. The process was repeated for her and then again two more times. At the end, some sake was offered to Kikyo and Silva. Should Siouxsie have had her parents present, they would have been offered some as well. A document was given to Illumi. He looked it over before handing it to Siouxsie to sign. The priest then announced their names, changing her last name from Notlea to Zoldyck, everyone clapped in congratulations.

                The wedding wasn’t over yet. They had to thank the gods for allowing them to use their shrine by giving an offering. It was a branch from the sakaki tree. Once it was offered Illumi and Siouxsie bowed twice, clapped twice, and then bowed once more. Thus signifying the end. Siouxsie let out a small breath. As good as it felt to be outside, she couldn’t wait to wash everything off and take a shower. The entire ensemble was causing her to overheat.

                Back at the manor, a few butlers were prepared to remove everything (well, clothing wise) from her body. Siouxsie shivered as cold air hit her body.

                “Are you alright Lady Siouxsie?”

                “Yeah. I was just incredibly hot in that,” she answered, “Do you think that I’ll have enough time for a shower?”

                “Perhaps. Lunch will be ready in a half hour and we still have to prepare you for it.”

                “Give me 15 minutes,” she instructed.

               

                With all of that gook off of her body, the butlers were able to effortless style her hair into a bun with a few loose curls. Siouxsie had convinced Kikyo to allow her to wear the dress that she had bought for the auction instead of purchasing an entire new one. Now that she could see it, Killua was right. This looked great on her, the color complementing her slightly tanned skin nicely. The only thing new was a pair of heels that her mother-in-law insisted that she wear even though Siouxsie had proven on multiple occasions that she _cannot_ walk in heels all that well. It took a butler helping her down the hall and into the dining room for her to not fall and break her ankle.

                “What? The two of you are leaving the mountain?” asked Kikyo as Siouxsie sat down next to her now-husband.

                “Now, now Kikyo,” calmed Silva, “You know full well that he doesn’t have to stay here if he doesn’t want to.”

“We won’t be too far mom,” sighed Illumi.

Not far. Yeah right. Niska Cove was closer to Mimbo Republic than Kukuroo Mountain.

                “I know but…” she exhaled, “I was hoping that you would stay on the mountain with us.”

                Out of the corner of her eye she could barely make out the irritation in Illumi’s aura at his mother’s mock-hurt tone. They both knew that the only reason that she wanted them close by was to snoop and if they had children, have them trained to be an assassin, both of which they did not want. Siouxsie grabbed his hand under the table in an attempt to calm him. It worked, the irritation quickly replaced with content as he intertwined their fingers. The food came out not a moment after and the family toasted.

                “To my grandson and his beautiful wife,” cheered Zeno.

                “Eat up you two!” Kikyo exclaimed as Siouxsie took a sip of her wine, “You’ll be needing it if you’re going to give me grandchildren by next year!”

                Siouxsie nearly choked on her drink.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I did hit the 50k goal with what I have written for 29, that chapter is giving me a bit of trouble. I can't seem to focus on it. I'll post it as soon as I can.


	30. XXIX – Let’s x Have x Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh... first off Happy Holidays...  
> and I know I promised this chapter weeks ago but first I had to prepare for finals... but I've been out of school for over a week now so I honestly should have been working on it.  
> This chapter was a mixture of "oh man how do I write that?" and procrastination. But at least now that it's done I can work on the Greed Island stuff that I skipped but for now, I hope you guys like it.

 

                Siouxsie breathed in the scent of salt water and dune grass as she and Illumi exited the airport at the top of a large hill. They’ve been to Niska cove plenty of times but the view never gets stale. The town was located mostly by the crystal clear blue water, many houses lined the Cliffside and sidewalk, a few scattered along the other hills. There were boats littered all around the area, including a section of land that jutted inward, creating a small beach-like alcove full of little shops and eateries. Overall, it was a great place to live. Illumi held out his hand for her to take as they walked down the hill and towards their new home, located on the other side of town on a hill overlooking the water. They had spent a lot of time furnishing the place up once they bought it so that it was ready to go by the time they moved in.

                The scarlet colors soon faded to midnight blue by the time that they reached their new forever home, stars littered the vastness of the sky. It was _much_ smaller than the manor but honestly, who needed that much space? Once they were inside, the lights on, and what little they brought with them unpacked, Illumi turned towards Siouxsie and removed the ring from her neck and necklace. They hadn’t bothered to put it where it belonged during the wedding since it _was_ just an engagement ring, but it completed the set that they both wore.

                “Now what am I going to play with?” she giggled jokingly.

                Gently grabbing her left hand, Illumi removed the wedding band from her finger, gently sliding the engagement ring on and replacing the band.

                “I’ll buy you another one,” he replied, kissing her cheek.

                Siouxsie turned her head, giving him a kiss. Her intention was to keep it chaste but he had a different plan, moving his free hand to the small of her back and returning the kiss harder.       

                “Take it easy,” she laughed.

                “Don't want to,” he replied, kissing with more fervor.

                Siouxsie moaned from the roughness, her hand reaching up and clasping onto the back of his neck. Illumi wasted no time, biting her bottom lip. As she whimpered from the slight pain, he licked her lip in a silent apology before massaging her tongue with his own. She could never get over how he surprisingly tasted like honey and apples, it was almost intoxicating.

                 “Is this ok?” He asked, lips still touching.

                Realizing what he was asking, her cheeks grew warmer and at that moment she didn't trust her voice, nodding her head in approval. Before she knew what was happening, Siouxsie was on the bed, hands almost immediately under her shirt and rubbing her sides as Illumi trailed his kisses down her neck. He was surprisingly gentle with his hands but all of her thoughts stuttered when one of them went south and into her panties. His fingers were weren’t even touching her clit but it already had her trembling. She grabbed at the pillow and the headboard behind her as Illumi’s kisses gravitated back towards her mouth and eagerly drank up any moan that came from her mouth. Siouxsie’s hips moved around as the trembles increased, legs moving up and squeezing at the body between them and hands pulling his face closer to deepen their kiss. The pleasure continued to build until it felt like a pressure began to coil inside of her. All too soon Illumi pulled his hand back up as he sat up, licking the wetness off his fingers. She whined at the loss of contact so close to her release but the sight of him licking her essence made her wetter than she already was. Illumi watched as her eyes dilated further with arousal, chest heaved with near-orgasmic pleasure though parted, kiss-swollen lips and flushed cheeks.

                “If only you could see how you look right now,” he commented, “Truly a sight to behold.”

                “If I’m a sight then you must be a god,” she retorted, a smirk on her face.

                He gave a small chuckle before grabbing at her pants and started pulling them off. He only got them partway down before pausing. His face tinged with confusion before his eyes filled with an intense hunger.

                “I take it that you like it,” Siouxsie blushed as propped herself up on her elbows.

                While she had been out one day she had come across a beautiful black lace garter belt set, the straps attached to a pair of soft black mid-thigh high stockings that matched with her black panties. The stockings accentuated her thighs, which was good since Illumi seemed to love hers. It had also come with a black lace balconette but since her shirt was still on, he had no idea it was even there.

                “Let’s keep that on tonight,” he approved as he continued to remove her pants and her panties that she was thankful for the foresight to wear _over_ the garter for easy removal.

                To say that she anticipated that the night would end that way was an understatement. She knew that once Illumi had the chance to get her alone with no way for distractions a.k.a. moving to the new house, there would be no stopping things from escalating. Placing one of her thighs over his shoulder, he delivered a kiss right where the skin met the fabric and up her leg before placing his final one on her folds. Siouxsie followed his movements, eyes locked with his own, watching as he ran his flattened tongue between her lips. She couldn’t stop the bucking that her hips were doing nor the lewd noises coming from her as he sucked on her clit, tongue also lapping at the sensitive bud. Illumi placed a hand on her lower stomach to keep her fidgeting to a minimum and the other pushed a couple of fingers into her, massaging her slick walls. The arm holding Siouxsie up gave out from the pleasure that she was feeling and instead reached down to grab a hold of Illumi’s long locks. The coil was back and tightening with each thrust of his fingers, even more so when he curled his digits, hitting that special spot that she didn’t even know that she had. That feeling intensified in increasing amounts until finally, she came undone, head pushing into the pillow as her back arched, a deep moan spilling from her lips.

                Siouxsie breathed hard for a little bit as Illumi removed his shirt, wiped his face, and threw it to the side. She sat up and reached for his pants but he shooed her hands away.

                “No,” he denied.

                “But I feel selfish being the only one getting off,” she said.

                Illumi responded with a slight chuckle, leaning over until their noses touched. His eyes were all-consuming as they were the only thing that she could see.

                “I’m the selfish one,” he started, running his hands under her shirt again, “I have to restrain myself from pinning you down most of the times that I had ever been with you and even when I’m not I still think about it. Now that I have you right where I want you, I’m not letting you go until I’ve had my fill. Understand?”

                Siouxsie had no idea that Illumi thought like that. She’s certainly thought about stuff like that but compared to her, it sounded like he thought about it every day. Realizing that he was waiting for a response, she nodded her head. Seeing her agreement, he swiftly took off her shirt and threw it in some random direction. His eyes gravitated to her breasts which were nicely supported by the balconette, giving them a well-rounded look.

                “I was wondering why your chest looked a little different today,” he mumbled, planting a kiss onto one of them.

                She would say something about his comment but given his confession earlier, she wasn’t exactly surprised. Illumi gently pushed her back down and kissed at her neck. The action was probably supposed to be sensual but it tickled more than anything. She laughed, placing her hands on his shoulders in a vain attempt to push him off. Her neck was incredibly sensitive to touch to the point where even when he stopped, there was still a lingering touch there.

                “Siouxsie,” she heard him call.

                He waited until her giggles died down to continue.

                “Are you ready?”

                Ready? She thought, his pants were still-

                She looked down.

                When did he take them off? She didn’t even feel him move. That was to be expected of an assassin she guessed. Of course, looking down also gave her a sneak-peek at what was to come. He certainly was… sizeable.  

                “Y-yeah,” she squeaked in reply, grabbing onto his shoulders.

                “Good, I don’t think I can hold back anymore.”

                Illumi lined himself up and eased himself in, moaning at the new sensation. Siouxsie groaned, squeezing at his shoulders. It hurt much more than she expected it to.

                “Just a little more,” he encouraged after she vocalized her discomfort.

                The rest of his length went in without much of an issue, it was the feeling of her walls being stretched that hurt the most. He reached down and rubbed at her clit in an attempt to distract her from the pain all the while watching her face for any further traces of distress, slowing his hand as it diminished.  Once it dulled down to a small ache, Siouxsie gave him the ok to start moving. He started off slowly at first, still watching for any negative emotions but once she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer, all restraints broke. Illumi placed his hands on either side of her and picked up the pace. Siouxsie mewled at the new speed and roughness, back arching into the body above her and nails scratching at his back and arms as she searched for purchase. With each thrust of his hips he managed to graze that sweet spot which had her seeing stars. Illumi’s name left her mouth like a mantra as her release quickly approached until her orgasm caught her off-guard and ripped through her body with a high-pitched moan. The tightening of her walls around him caused his speed to falter, a pleasured hum slipping past his lips. Illumi’s movements didn’t stop but continuing so close to her orgasm was starting to overwhelm her.

                “Illumi!” she called, “Hold on, it’s too much…”

                She didn’t exactly want to stop since he had yet to come yet but maybe if she got him to pause for a moment then she wouldn’t be as overstimulated. Hearing her plea, he stopped thrusting but instead began to grind his hips into her, which felt amazing at how full she felt.

                “I’m sorry but can you go for a little bit more?” he asked, concern in his voice.

                “I can try,” she nodded.

                He nodded back before starting back up, leaning down to capture her lips in a sloppy kiss. Siouxsie ran her fingers through his long locks, pulling when he once again hit that spot. He moaned into the kiss whenever his hair was pulled and tiny groans were also heard as he started to move more erratically, practically pummeling her into the mattress. The sudden vigor had that coil back and her release was quickly approaching with each rough thrust of his hips. She turned her head slightly to the side since kissing wasn’t exactly easy to do when you’re being fucked into next week. Illumi grabbed onto her hips and pummeled into her with reckless abandon and that was all it took to push her over the edge for the final time, mouth open in a silent scream. With a few more thrusts of his hips, Illumi came as well, Siouxsie’s walls milking him for all that he was worth. He pulled out, and laid beside her, allowing them to come down from their high.

                “What a way to start our new life together,” she giggled.

                “If you think that was great then wait until we’re able to do my other fantasies,” he retorted.

                Siouxsie couldn’t help the laugh that erupted from her mouth. The man was insatiable. But if what he’s claiming to be a good time is true…

                Then she couldn’t wait.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God this chapter was awful. I promise I'll make it better in the revision


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